Recovering the Broken Pieces
by AShipperWithNoLife
Summary: After having his memory erased by scientists, something his ex-boss ordered them to do, America views humans as terrible creatures whose only intention is to hurt him. Most nations believe he's a lost cause, but England and Canada still have hope. It isn't easy to help someone who's feral restore their memory, though.
1. Chapter 1

**Warning: Contains extreme anthrophiobia, memory loss, and mentions of torture.**

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England was disappointed in himself for not figuring out what had been going on sooner, and America had to suffer because of how oblivious he'd been. Sure, there were many times when he would worry about his former colony's absence; he knew things might not have been going too well for the other, but to the point of non-stop torture for a couple years? This was definitely not something he expected. Even if the boss America once had, who was now rightfully dead, did speak as a tyrant would at times, and there had been some fear clouding some minds of the nation's citizens, he'd still been under the impression that everything was going well for his former colony. That maybe he was only over thinking things. There were no mass genocides, no pushes to make absolute sure certain groups were 'put in their place', and people were still allowed to speak their minds. However, it did seem as if basic freedoms were being taken away, as months passed on. Yet the Americans, for the most part, still appeared to be oblivious to what was going on. Even if the country was turning more isolated over time. Fortunately, before anything drastic could happen, the rest of the nations were eventually able to put two and two together. No matter how many excuses his boss attempted to use, in order to explain America's absence, there was no reason for him to have not communicated with any other nations for two years straight. The young nation simply wouldn't have found that acceptable, unless he was the one to share a valid explanation as to why he was isolating himself.

It wasn't easy for the nations who volunteered to save America to go through with doing so. They had to find a way to steal information and do so undetected (as being caught would only result in disaster), so they could find out where he was in the first place. It was a mission that required much guile and a lot of planning, before they could even consider going through with it. Only certain nations were allowed to participate in this operation, due to the fact that most nations were either untrustworthy, incompetent in any skills required to complete the task at hand, or did not receive enough support from their boss to do so. Even if England wanted them to go through with the mission right away, as he couldn't bare spending any time sitting there while America continued to suffer through whatever his boss was forcing him to endure (if anything at all), he was aware of the fact that they would have to wait until they were sure their plan might work.

After their plan for figuring out what was going on with America was formulated, they were quick to go about doing some vigorous searching, in order to collect vital information. It'd taken a while for them to do this, but they'd eventually found out everything that was happening, and what the president planned on doing.

What they discovered was enough to make some of them sick to their stomachs. The tyrant just wanted control over America, and he'd found the right people to help him and an almost flawless way of going about this. There was no denying the fact that he was a clever man, after viewing his elaborate plans.

What disturbed England most was the fact that the ex-president was very interested in trying to 'cleanse' America. By doing so, he wanted a group of scientists to wipe away all his memories, in hopes that this would influence the citizens of America to become less educated, and according to the documents they found during their search, they were successful in doing so. They'd also conducted experiments on him, since the tyrant wanted the scientists to find out what was making America resistant to aging, so that he could be immortal as well. If the scientists wanted to, they were allowed to conduct other experiments on the young nation, in order to explore his other impressive features. There was no limit to how cruel the experiments could be. They could even amputate limbs if they wanted to, just to figure out how the nation was able to grow them back. Drugs to ease the pain and keeping him well fed were not requirements either. If they wanted some entertainment from the young nation's suffering, they could have it.

Most of this mess was over now. The scientists would never be able to lay a finger on the poor nation again, as justice had put them in their place, and he was able to be brought back to the safety of his home. Though it came as a shock, at first, to England, that the house was complete a mess. One chair had been tipped over at the table in the kitchen, while another one laid on the floor in pieces; a sign that someone strong must have thrown it at full force. There was a hole in the living room wall, and some of the young nation's belongings were scattered about on the floor. America must have put up quite a fight, when his own government tried to take advantage of him. England was still willing to try and fix the house up, and at least make it look as familiar as possible to his former colony. Perhaps this would help him regain some of his memory. Since the damage that was done wasn't too terrible, though, he figured it would be best to try and help America recover from his critical condition as his main priority, and focus on the house when he was confident the American wouldn't need him. He was becoming thin to a dangerous extent. Though he was not quite a skeleton, a few of his ribs were still prominent. There were bruises and cuts all over his body as well, and while he laid on his bed, in his current unconscious state, he would sometimes twitch; a sign he was still under the effects of a substance the scientists shouldn't have injected into him.

Hours had passed when America finally stirred, and at first, England couldn't help but grow a bit elated. He was sure whatever substance was still inside his former colony's body was still in affect, but he'd hoped that most of it had passed through by now, and that the young nation would be able to function better than he had in the half-conscious state he'd found him in. The Brit's hope, however, ebbed away when it became more apparent that his former colony was still out of. Even after fifteen minutes of him groggily blinking at what in his surroundings he could still see with his messed up vision, the American showed no signs of wanting to move. Despite his disappointment, however, England was still more than willing to try and make him as comfortable as possible, so he stroked his ex-colony's wheat-colored hair, and wrapped another blanket over the poor nation's shivering form. The comfort provided to him had been enough to lull America back into a deep slumber within minutes.

When America fell asleep again, England figured there was no point in sitting there and watching the young nation any longer, as it wasn't likely that he would wake up any time soon; so he waited until Canada returned from his trip to the store with some groceries. There was hardly any edible food in the house when they first arrived, as most of it was way past its expiration date, so they had to rid the fridge and the cupboards of the spoilt food. Which resulted in a few containers and boxes of stale, yet edible sustenance remaining on the shelves.

While the the two waited for America to wake up again, after having taken care of the groceries, they busied themselves with cleaning up some of the mess that had been left behind in the somewhat damaged house. Four o'clock rolled by when they decided to stop working for the day; figuring they made a lot of progress in the amount of time they worked and deserved some rest. While they allowed themselves to relax a bit, they set to checking on the unconscious American once every twenty minutes. After around a couple of hours of them doing this, America finally woke up.

At first, the young nation appeared to still be out of it, but it wasn't long until he grew more cautious of his surroundings. If anyone else had viewed the world as he did through his eyes, they would've found everything to be quite blurry. Though this was not what worried America most. This was how he believed the world was supposed to appear to everyone. It was the only way he ever was able to observe it. The only way he could tell where he was and if anyone was near by was if their blurry figure (if they weren't in the two feet radius in front of his face) was moving, or depending on the blurry mess of colors that surrounded him. If it was dark in his surroundings, it meant he wasn't in the bright secret lair where the odd men who wore white and had a strange obsession towards hurting him, lived. There were also small, furry, white creatures trapped with those men. He was sometimes forced to watch these animals through the same torture as he did on a daily basis. Dark meant he was safe for a while, and that he was allowed to sleep, and eat whatever the strange men gave him. However, it was sometimes risky to eat, as there were times when they would hide a drug in the food to weaken him, but sometimes, his hunger outweighed any cogent judgments, as food wasn't something he could always rely on being provided with, which was why he couldn't afford take the sustenance that was harmless for granted. Dark only became frightening when the strange men vocalized random noises at him. There was a certain rhythm to them; ones no animal nor himself could produce. He could tell each sound was unique, and meant something different from the previous one uttered. Yet they were so complicated, and he was unable to remember or figure out what most of them meant. He had to be taught a few commands in order to have any hope of understanding what the men told him.

The mysterious room he was in now wasn't dark or white, but instead had dark cream colored walls, with strange blurry objects he could almost immediately tell, despite his horrible vision, were objects he was incapable of discerning, due to his limited experience. To add to his fear, which was caused by the unfamiliarity of his surroundings, a strange figure sat next to the bed he was laying in. Appearance wise, he was different from the men in strange white suits (at first glance, anyways), and instead wore a shirt that was blue. America examined the figure next to him more closely, and jumped when he found that whatever was sitting next to him, in fact, did shared some physical features similar to the scientists; he must have been a human!

America furrowed his eyebrows in an attempt to hide his fear, and make himself come off as more hostile. Did the human really believe he was going to fall for whatever trick he was trying to pull on him, or that he was going to allow him to take advantage of him? The men who wore white may have been able to manage such, but he still wasn't going to let this human do the same. He had to make it clear, the moment he met this human, that he was not a force to mess with, and that he best stay away from him. He figured he was most definitely in a different place from where the cruel experiments happened, which must have meant he was being given a second chance, by some higher power, to prevent further suffering in his future. He couldn't have cared less for what caused those men who hurt him to scream out in agony, though. He only wanted for those same people who 'saved' him to realize he was not going to suffer through the same things the scientists forced him to endure. That was, if it was their intention to steal him and perform the same tortures on him; which he figured was going to most definitely be the case. Since when did he ever meet a human who cared for his well being?

Another human soon entered the room, and upon arriving, communicated to the one who was right next to him with those sounds he was unable to understand. This, of course, only caused him to grow even more uneasy.

It was when the human next to him reached out his hand towards him when America attacked. He'd shot up from where he laid on his new bed, and punched the human on his cheek. He proceeded to strike a few more times towards his stomach, before the other human attempted to grab his wrists and pin him to the bed. Too distracted to start fending off the human in the blue shirt now, he focused his energy into fighting off the one who was trying to restrain him. This human was definitely stronger than the one he'd just hit, as he was still able to try and keep fending America off after being struck a few times, but he was eventually able to throw him off as well. At least for a few seconds, anyways. The two humans continued to try and make him stop hitting them. Sure, never at one point during the fight did it become their intention to hurt him in the process, but he still didn't keep his guard down. Even when they surrendered and fled the room.

When he deemed it safe, America tried to search for a way out, but it was to no avail. Before the fight, he'd already been a bit shaky, but now his legs were hardly able to keep him standing. Besides, his horrible eyesight would only make it difficult to navigate around the house, let alone, the room he'd been sleeping in.

Meanwhile, England and Canada were in the living room, trying to catch their breaths after making sure they were far away from America and receiving quite a few ugly bruises that would definitely make their appearances soon, due to the hits from the fight. When they figured it wasn't probable the young nation would be coming after them, Matthew stated, "I wasn't expecting him to still be so strong. I thought that he'd still be very weak from being starved and abused by the scientists."

"Well, he's still not as strong as he usually is right now, though it may be hard to believe," England replied to Canada's statement, and continued with something he deemed more relevant to their current situation, "I knew that he was probably going to be mistrusting of other humans, since his memory was erased and all he can remember now is how poorly he'd been treated by them, but I wasn't expecting him to be so aggressive towards us. Though, I guess this shouldn't have really come to me as a surprise. I just wonder what we're supposed to do when he's acting all feral like this. Clearly, we're not strong enough to keep him from hurting us, and what if he ends up hurting himself because of his fear and confusion? How are we supposed to take care of him and potentially recover his memory if he's not even going to let us go near him, and we can't do anything about that? It's not like any other nation is going to be willing to help us. Most of them believe he's a lost cause now. Some don't think it's even any of their business whether or not he gets better. And it would be too risky to have any nations who didn't share that awful opinion to come over and help. I simply don't trust any of them. Besides, the only nation strong enough to even stand a chance against America's strength is Russia, but it would be bloody stupid to let him anywhere near Alfred, when he's still weak from what the scientists did to him."

Canada pondered what England had stated, as an eerie silence expanded throughout the atmosphere of the room. At first, he couldn't help but become hopeless, as he couldn't detect anything but truth in the words the Brit had spoken. Though, as he continued to think things over, he found himself coming to the conclusion that perhaps it wouldn't be such a stupid idea to let Russia help them out after all. He wasn't sure if England would be willing to try and understand where he was coming from with this, since the idea sounded crazy, but he figured that it was at least worth a shot, and it wasn't as of they had any other choice, "I actually don't think that would be a bad idea."

"What do you mean," the Brit glared at Canada, as if he believe the nation in front of him was the stupidest person he ever set his eyes on, "Of course it would be a bad idea. If we weren't able to stop America from hurting us, but he is able to take advantage of him with ease, then how are we going to be able to stop him if he decides to turn against us?"

"W-well, it's not as if Alfred's weak state is necessarily unknown to him, or to the rest of the world. Maybe the personification of America is still weak, and the government is still trying to fix itself now, but that still doesn't mean that the people and his military won't try to stop another nation from attempting to conquer his country. Besides, the other nations won't allow it either. After all, if Russia tries conquering other countries, the world won't be too happy with him, and they probably won't stand by and let him do as he pleases. I mean, if he's trying to conquer America, and we do nothing about it, what if he ends up obtaining the power to conquer a large portion of the world? Russia knows that this would be stupid. Otherwise, he would probably be taking over countries right now. So why don't we just give him a chance? I realize that he's not the gentlest nation out there, but do we really have any other choice? I'll just make sure to tell him to not hurt Alfred."

England considered what Canada told him for a moment before stating, "Okay, I guess you're right. Fine, he can come over to help. But you're going to have to be the one to call him. People usually don't remember who you are anyways, so it's not very likely that he has a grudge against you."

The comment about people not being capable of recalling his existence stung, but he was still more than willing to comply as he replied, "Alright."

It wasn't too long after the call when Russia arrived at the house (a lot of the nations were still near where America lived, since most of them were either a part of the mission to save him, or were debating on whether or not they should help and what they could do if they did). Fortunately, he didn't seem to mind being asked to do this, in fact, Canada received an impression that he was even a bit eager. As if the Russian viewed this as the perfect opportunity to achieve some goal of his. He didn't question this strange enthusiasm, though, as he still had in mind the fact that Russia was their only hope that moment, and it wasn't very probable for him to try anything, due to how the world might react to any wrong-doings from him.

Russia climbed the stairs to the second floor, where Canada guessed was most definitely the place where America still lingered. Fortunately, he didn't have any trouble trying to find the young nation, as he was sitting against a wall in the bedroom; giving off a vibe that he was exhausted, but still alert. He tried his best to be slow and quiet, while striding towards the feral nation. He didn't want to startle the scared American.

It was when Russia was only two feet in front of him when America noticed a blurry figure in front of him. Upon noticing another presence in the room, he whimpered and scooted as far away across the soft carpeted floor as his shaky limbs would let him. While he did this, the human spoke to him in a soft tone, but he wasn't going to let himself fall for it.

His back hit a corner in the room, and the figure seemed to have him trapped there. More panic clawed at his gut, and made his heart flutter at a rate that would make anyone think the organ was going to burst. The human didn't back off, though, as he knelt down so his face was level with America's. This caused the frightened nation to punch Russia's face. Although the hit caused him much pain, the Russian refused to let the agony, now clustered throughout his nose, distract him as he grabbed the young nation's wrists. This caused the American to start flailing around in the hold, but after spending a few minutes to try and stop him from struggling, he was eventually able to keep both of America's arms pinned with one arm, and his legs pinned with his own. Due to his desperation, the feral nation tried to bite the hand that was now stoking his hair, but when Russia caught sight of him attempting to do this, he forced the young nation's mouth shut by applying pressure to and holding his jaw.

America clenched his eyes shut and whimpered at the pain, which was now spreading through the joints of his jaw. Russia seemed to immediately realize, after hearing him whimper, that he was holding America's jaw much too tight, and freed the young nation's face of his hand as he said in a soft voice, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to push so hard on your jaw."

The soft tone still didn't do anything to reassure the American, as it wasn't long until sobs poured from his mouth, due to his desperation. Russia continued to try and reassure the nation, and eventually loosened his hold on him when it was apparent America no longer had any fight left in him. He cried in the Russian's arms for what seemed to be an eternity; until he was too exhausted to continue doing so. Soon after he was over his distress, he fell asleep in the warm embrace. He couldn't recall another time he felt so comfortable around another human being, but it was obvious his intense exhaustion was the only reason he'd forgotten about his fear in the last few moments he was conscious.

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 **A/N: Before anyone says anything, the ex-president in this story is 100% fictional; meaning that he is in no way a reference to our current or past presidents. This story takes place probably a few decades into the future (don't worry though, most things still look the same as they do today). The reason why is that I highly doubt scientists have found a way, yet, to erase someone's memory without causing any brain damage, if that makes any sense.**


	2. Chapter 2

When America had fallen asleep in Russia's arms and was returned to the comfort of his bed, England figured he was going to have to wait before he could try out another attempt to improve the young nation's condition. He couldn't help but be disappointed in himself by the fact that he'd even considered touching the feral nation, when as he contemplated the situation at hand, he he grew aware of the fact that it should've been obvious to him his former colony was not going to trust humans, after being mistreated by them. He believed if he had been more careful about considering the idea of reaching out his hand towards America, the young nation wouldn't have ended up attacking them in the first place. Instead, he should've been more considerate towards his space, and let his ex-colony approach him first when he was ready to do so, as he and Matthew were not strong enough to force him to do anything. At least if they had the strength, they would've been able to teach the young nation that it wasn't okay for him to attack them, and perhaps even help him figure out, after a while of not being harmed by the power keeping him from harming others, that the people who wielded such strength were not there to hurt him.

Instead, it was all because of his poor judgement they were now relying on Russia to be the one to, hopefully, teach America not to be so vicious; while at the same time showing him that no one was there to hurt him. England hoped the not-so-trustworthy nation would go through with his promise and not harm his former colony. It was because of his desperation that the Russian now shared the same objective as him and Canada. As England continued to ponder his decision about letting Russia help them out, he was only able to find more and more flaws with his choice. His main concern was whether or not the 'cruel' nation would even care for the consequences of conquering America. England wasn't even sure if he would be able to do anything if Russia decided he was going to take over the young nation. What if there wasn't anything any of the other nation could do either, or what if they chose not to help; despite possibly being next on his list of nations to dominate?

Morning had come when England figured America was going to awaken from his deep slumber soon. Which was why he set to make something easy to stomach for his former colony to eat while Canada kept an eye on the sleeping nation. He wasn't exactly sure how long it had been since the skinny nation had last eaten, but based on how thin he appeared to be, he didn't want to risk giving him something too heavy. Which was why he believed a smoothie would be the best thing for him to make (much to the relief of Canada, who secretly worried about if the Brit had tried to prepare a food more complicated than that, it would've resulted in him somehow poisoning the starved American). England figured a smoothie would provide America with a large variety of nutrients, while at the same time be very tasty to him, as he figured his former colony would prefer a meal that tasted sweet over something such as broth. Besides, it would be easy for him to slip in some extra protein. He'd asked Canada to buy some powdered amino acids, and he'd brought back a container of the type which was chocolate flavored. He was aware of the fact that his former colony _loved_ chocolate, so he didn't believe there would be any problem trying to help America gain some weight with the amino acid supplements.

When he was finished making the smoothie, he approached Russia with a task. Apprehension fluttered around in his gut and chest; it was true the Russian had not caused America any harm, but he was still sort of frightened of him. The regret he had for letting the scary nation help them with their situation only made things worse. Sure, one would probably say he could make an excuse for why they 'wouldn't need' him anymore, but that would be a silly mistake to make. Who else was strong enough to try and stop the American if he chose to attack them? Besides, England figured the other nation would only become stubborn and insist on staying and helping America out no matter what he said. He believed Russia was the type of person who would do something if they wanted to no matter what, as he couldn't remember a single time, as long as he'd known the Russian, where the nation would listen if he was told to do something he didn't want to do. Sure, this probably stemmed from the fact that no one dared to demand anything from him, as far as he was aware, but he'd rather not try it anyways.

England almost jumped when he found Russia conveniently standing at the doorway of the kitchen (and he was sure if he hadn't had the discipline to refrain from doing so, he would've spilt the smoothie). He tried to keep the shock and apprehension out of his voice as he spoke, "Oh hello, Russia. Since you happen to be conveniently here right now, do you think you could give this to Alfred? And maybe make sure that he drinks some of it if he wakes up?"

England felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end when he witnessed a smile decorate Ivan's expression. The 'creepy' nation grabbed the cup out of the Brit's hand as he replied, "I would be happy to."

He gazed at Russia, as the other happily strode away from the doorway and in the direction where America's room happened to be. England waited until the intimidating nation was out of ear shot, before he deemed it safe to seek Canada's presence. He was going to need the Canadian's unintentional tendency to metaphorically be invisible almost all the time; if he wanted to be able to determine whether or not the Russian had any integrity, without him growing suspicious of the two. Fortunately, it didn't take too long for him to find the much needed nation. When he did catch sight of him, he told him in a low voice, in case Russia had a superb ability to overhear a normal, conversational tone of voice from the other end of the house, "Matthew, I need you to do something for me. It's very important."

Canada asked in an equally quiet voice, "What?"

"I want you to go upstairs and make sure that Russia isn't doing anything to hurt Alfred. Make sure that you don't get caught doing this, though. We don't need Russia to become suspicious and think that we don't trust him. Not that such an assumption would be a complete lie."

"Okay, I'll try to not get caught then."

Canada silently walked upstairs to where America's room was, so he could watch Russia; making sure to hold a small stack of books in his arms, so when Russia left the bedroom, he could pretend he was carrying them to his own room, and that happened to be passing by right when the Russian exited the room by a mere coincidence. He stood next to the doorway and peeked through the thin gab near the hinges that allowed the door to move against the wall, as the door was already partially closed, and he figured this would be the best way to avoid discovery, while at the same time, have a decent view of what was going on in the room.

Meanwhile, as soon as Russia was next to the young nation's bed, he set the smoothie down on the nightstand, and gently rubbed his hand against America's cheek, in order to wake him up. It did take him a few moments to achieve this, but soon enough, America's eyes slowly fluttered open. At first, the American appeared to be completely out of it. However, it wasn't long before he grew more aware of his surroundings. He could immediately recognize the blurry figure in front of him. It was the human who was able to restrain him with ease; despite all his best efforts to try and break free of his arms. Rage and fear flooded through out America's body, making him tremble. He was _sure_ this human only wanted to torment him. All because he'd figured out he was able to do so with ease.

When America had the energy to do so, he swatted Russia's hand away, and attempted to crawl away from him as quickly as he could on the bed. Russia would've let the young nation be and wait until he calmed down before even daring to do anything with him again; if it wasn't for the fact that he was moving around blindly and was at risk of hurting himself because of that. Which was why he immediately tried to stop America from violently flailing around in his blankets, which he was completely tangled up in, and trying to crawl off of the bed.

It wasn't at all shocking to Russia that the feral nation ended up freaking out even more when he tried to stop him from flailing around so much. Though, it wasn't as if he was pinning his arms to the bed or anything. He only hoped holding him in a gentle, yet firm hug would help him relax a bit. Besides, if he could manage to somehow make the young nation stay still for a few minutes, he would be able to help him untangle his legs from the blankets, so he wouldn't be so restrained.

Even if America had been trying everything he could to escape from Russia's presence, let alone his arms, he'd eventually come to terms with the fact that it was doing him no good, and had given up after ten minutes of non-stop struggling. Instead, he settled for curling up on himself, due to how frightened he was because of how hopeless he believed his situation truly was, and tried his best to keep his breathing under control before he ended up hyperventilating (even if he had forgotten about many scientific and medical concepts, due to his memory loss, there were still some things he understood based on instinct, and personal experience, and one of those things happened to be the fact that panic attacks would only leave him feeling weak and exhausted).

Since the young nation was no longer wiggling around in his arms, Russia figured it would now be a great idea for him to loosen the blankets that were restraining America's legs, as he was no longer worried about being kicked. America stayed still and silent throughout the process, as if he was expecting something horrible to happen to him, since he was unable to fight for his freedom. The Russian frowned at the effort the young nation was putting into preventing himself from having a panic attack. It appeared to be taking all his mental strength to focus on that one goal. However, Russia believed it was best not to dwell on that too much. What would he even be able to do to try and make it better? America was far from trusting him, and based on the fact that he'd had his memory wiped, and had shown no signs of understanding anything he told him, while not uttering a single word the whole time he was around him (Russia was of the fact that the American would've let out at least a few words by now, even if he was terrified), he didn't even believe the nation knew any languages in his current state. Besides, he couldn't leave America alone. The nation still needed to be fed, and he was going to have to become used to be around other people. Isolating him would only enable his fear for humans, though it wasn't as if he, England, and Canada planned on forcing him into a crowd of people at any random time. That would be much too overwhelming for America. Instead, they figured it would be best if he only hung around one person at a time, and that they didn't make the interactions last for too long until he was ready to be around someone he bonded with for hours on end. Maybe even until he begged for the company; if he ever did end up wanting it.

Figuring that, despite his fear, America must have been famished at the moment, since he hadn't eaten anything the entire time he was at his house, Russia picked up the cup of smoothie from the night stand and offered it to the scared nation. However, when it didn't appear as if he was going to take the cup from his hand, the Russian figured he was too scared to want to move, and so he listed the cup up to the young nation's lips instead. This snapped him out of his petrified daze, as America moved his head in any direction he could, in order to avoid the food being offered to him. He wasn't notified of what the human could've put in there, and he didn't want to find out what any questionable substance he believed the smoothie might have contained would do to him if he consumed it.

Russia didn't try to force the young nation to drink the smoothie, but instead, waited until he was ready to consume it on his own time. The American couldn't just avoid food forever. He was aware of America's hunger, his need for food, and the fact that it appeared as if the scientists only fed him enough to keep him alive (not that he would die if he 'starved to death' but they probably wouldn't have much of an incentive for experimenting on him if he was in a coma, since they were sadistic enough to want to view how he'd react while he was conscious through each of their cruel procedures) was going to make him eat something eventually. Sure enough, it appeared as if Russia's prediction about the young nation's hunger getting the best of him was right, as soon enough, he was drinking the smoothie. He may have had his memory wiped and had been traumatized to the point of mistrusting humans, but Russia figured America was at least smart enough to become aware, at some point, that no matter where the food came from, he was going to have to eat in order to, hopefully, stay alive and healthy. Where else would the young nation search for food, other than from the company of a human? Though he only recognized humans for being cruel, they had been the only thing that ever provided him with food.

America couldn't help but relax a bit as he continued to drink the strange substance (though of course, he would never let his guard down). He'd never tasted something so delicious. Nor did he ever consume a substance with such an interesting appearance. The food he was used to eating had a flavor that was not too memorable to him, and if someone who actually had some real food in their life were to examine and taste the food America used to receive from the scientists, they would probably question whether or not the bland 'sustenance' was even edible. In some cases, it actually wasn't. Some of the 'food' America was fed had actually contained substances that would poison and kill any human without fail, but of course, the scientists's morbid curiosity would make them interested in how the substance would affect America. They found it incredibly amusing when the poor nation coughed up blood from one of the deadly substances. As well as when he had a seizure.

It was when America gagged on the smoothie that Russia moved the cup away from him and rubbed the nation's back. The young nation was over his gagging fit in a matter of seconds, but panicked when the cup was taken away from him. He didn't care if his stomach was now uncomfortably full, he had to make sure he finished the rest of the smoothie. He didn't know when his next meal was going to come!

Russia picked up on the panic right away and glanced over at the cup. He understood where America's fear was coming from. Based on personal experience, he knew he would've tried his best to consume any food he could while he was starving. If food was taken away from him during those times, he would've been horrified, and think about how long it might be until his next meal would come around, and if he would make it while he waited. At the same time, though, he didn't want to risk making America sick and give him stomach cramps from over feeding him. Which was why he studied the cup to determine whether or not he should let the young nation have the rest of the smoothie. When he found there was not much left of it anyways, he figured there would be no harm in letting America have the rest of it and gave it back to him.

America stopped struggling in his futile attempt to reach for the cup, and became much more relaxed (though he was still giving Russia a mistrusting glare as he drank the smoothie). When he finished drinking the rest of it, Russia grabbed the cup from him, and gently laid him down and wrapped the blankets around him, so he could stay warm and comfortable. America did not struggle when he was forced to move from the sitting position. Even if he wanted to, he was too exhausted, full, and was somewhat afraid of what might happen if he continued to act so rebellious.

Meanwhile, Canada moved away from the door and walk down the hallway, casually, when he saw that Russia was ready to leave the room. At first, he had been worried the intimidating nation would somehow acknowledge the fact that he was there all along, but instead, he appeared to be oblivious to his presence (sure, it benefited him, due to the task he was given, but later on, it was probably going to upset him). It wasn't the fact that he appeared to be invisible that affected him at during the moment, though. He was shocked Russia had been so gentle towards America, when he most likely wasn't even aware he was being stalked. Even if he believed Russia would be the only one to stop the young nation from being so violent and that he was aware of the fact that it would be stupid to try anything, he still had his suspicions, as England did. The gentle and caring behavior only made him more curious about the reasoning behind, it as he pondered, _I just don't understand why Russia would even care to help take care of my brother in the first place. It's not as if they had a good history with each other. Is there something that he thinks he's getting from doing this?_

What his incentive might be only made Canada all the more curious, as he continued mentally, _I guess that I should probably investigate this some more._


	3. Chapter 3

It was late in the evening when Russia figured there was no need for him to worry about taking care of America for the rest of the day. He'd fed the young nation four small meals that day, made sure he always had enough water to drink, talked to him (despite the fact that the other was unable to speak) for half an hour in order to provide him with some company and hopefully help him gain some language skills as well as helping him become more comfortable around other humans, and was willing to help him take care of some other needs the feral nation didn't understand how to take care of the same way a normal human being would. Russia couldn't help but appreciate America's obedience while he was being cared for. It was true he was still scared, for the most part, throughout the process, but his caretaker still couldn't help but be happy for the fact that he was handling the situation well, and hoped he continued to stay obedient.

The thing that worried Russia most, though, was that even though he'd been exhausted throughout the day, he was becoming aware of how the young nation was still refusing to fall asleep. By the end of the day, his refusal to fall asleep was turning into quite the wonderment, as it appeared as if he would pass out at any moment, due to how lethargic he was. This was when his caretaker figured it was time he encouraged the other to fall asleep. He did so by pulling America into his arms and cuddling him in an attempt to make his fear fade away, and the once frightened nation was eventually able to feel safe in the warm embrace that protected him, until he was lulled into a peaceful slumber.

After making sure America was sound asleep and tucked under the covers of his bed, he headed to the kitchen, in order to find something to eat for himself. He was hungry, after taking care of the weak nation for an entire day (though he definitely wasn't needy or commanding, which made the situation much more bearable for his caretaker) and taking care of some paper work of his own, which his boss told him he was going to have to fill out, if he wanted to be away from his country for a while. It was originally going to be turned in two days later. Now he had to have it finished for the morning, so he could send it off to his boss and receive yet another assignment. Fortunately, he was at least able to finish up his work while he was taking care of America. All he wanted to do for the rest of the evening was eat a large meal and do something that required little effort before going to bed.

When Russia entered the kitchen, he couldn't help but be a bit surprised by what he saw. He found England sitting there, staring at a pair of glasses that appeared to be quite familiar to him. It did take him a moment, since it had been two years since he'd done so much as glimpse at America's glasses, but he was eventually able to figure out that they belonged to the young nation he was taking care of. Unfortunately, upon further inspection of the glasses, he discovered that one of the lenses were completely shattered. He didn't let this affect his mood though (as much as England had let it affect his, anyways), and inquired, "How come you're so upset about those glasses being broken? At least you finally found them. We can always get them fixed, da?"

England flinched at the sound of Russia's voice, but was able to regained his composure soon after doing so. After all, he didn't want to appear intimidated by the other nation's presence, and end up expressing any potential weakness because of that, "Yes, of course we can get them fixed. But it's not that I'm worried about. It's just the fact that America hasn't been wearing his glasses for two years straight now. I just realized that because of this, his eyesight might be worse than it was before, and he might need a new prescription because of that. It might not be very likely that he his eyesight was affected by this, because he's a nation and what not, but there's still no harm in making sure. I'm just not sure how we're going to be able to have him take an eye test when he either can't or won't speak. Besides, he's far from trusting us at the moment, so it's probably going to be a while before we can have him be around someone he doesn't know."

Russia pondered everything England said for a moment; trying to come up with something to hopefully make light out of their current situation before saying, "I'm sure there's someone out there who will be able to give him a nonverbal eye test. Maybe we can ask his eye doctor. He might be able to find someone who specializes with this sort of thing, who also will be trustworthy enough to keep Amerika's identity a secret, in case they somehow find out. Not that anyone would believe them if they tried to say that he was a nation."

"Okay, but what about the fact that he doesn't trust humans? He's most likely not going to cooperate with the eye doctor. In fact, I'm afraid that he might even try to attack them. People who can give nonverbal eye tests are almost unheard of, so what are the chances of someone being able to give one to him, while at the same time, be willing to put up with him if he decides to attack?"

"Well, this is all probably something that isn't going to happen right away, like you want it to. I personally believe that having him be able to see us as soon as possible will help him recover from his mental scars a bit. Maybe it would even help him recover his memory; if he was able to see the world around him. But we're probably going to have to wait a week or two, maybe even three, just for him to recover enough, mentally, to hopefully be able to handle an eye exam."

England stared at Russia, as if he didn't want to believe anything the other nation told him, but of course, he understood all of this would take time. Though he didn't want to be patient and wait for America to be better for months, possibly even years, he understood he would only cause more damage if he tried to speed up the process. Although, he was a bit skeptical of Russia's idea about having the young nation go to an eye doctor as soon as he was at least a little more comfortable around humans, as one of his questions had still been left unanswered, "You never answered my question about if he might attack the doctor. Are you sure that three weeks would be enough time to make him more civil?"

"I'm sure that he'll be fine," Russia replied, clearly at ease with the possible occurrence mentioned, "If he does show any signs of becoming aggressive, I can just make sure to stop him before any harm can be done. Though I'm sure by the time he's around us for three weeks, he'll realize that we're not going to let him try and inflict physical harm on others."

England considered what Russia told him for a moment, before finally giving in, "Alright, I guess we'd be better off doing it that way, then."

After that was said, England stood from the table with America's glasses still in his hands, and before walking out, he stated, "I'm going to bed now. Be sure to check on Alfred before you decide to go to bed yourself, alright?"

"Okay," was all Russia said before England left the room. Now that he was alone, and no longer talking to someone, he figured it was safe to search the cupboards and the fridge for something small to snack on. It was true his stomach was aching, due to the fact that he'd hardly eaten anything that day because of how busy he was, but at the same time, he didn't want to spend too much time eating a full meal, as he was tired and wanted to go to bed as soon as possible. Fortunately, he was able to find a box of granola bars, and ate one of them in order to fend off his hunger before making his way upstairs to America's room.

Upon entering the room, he'd initially believed everything was going fine for the young nation. He hadn't moved from his spot on the bed, and he didn't appear to be in any pain. However, when Russia strode closer to America's bed, into the dark room, he was growing more and more aware of discomfort on the poor nation's face. The young nation also appeared to be twitching once in a while. Was he having a nightmare?

A great wave of sympathy flooded through Russia's heart. He couldn't let this poor nation suffer alone while he was having a nightmare. Especially since he had an idea as to what he might be dreaming about. Which was why he pulled the sleeping nation into his arms, and muttered words of comfort to him, in the hopes of making him feel more safe.

Unfortunately, America awoke, due to the contact, and he definitely didn't receive the affection well. Instead, he became even more frightened, and was trembling more violently, but he still refrained from doing anything to fight what was going on. He was afraid fighting it was only going to make his situation worse. The young nation tried to keep himself together while he was being held in Russia's arms, but soon, he couldn't help silently crying, due to how helpless he felt. Despite the fact that his company seemed to be making America's fear even worse, Russia remained persistent in his attempt to comfort the other nation until he became more comfortable in his arms, and fell asleep once more. His caretaker held him a bit longer, in order to make sure he was peacefully asleep before tucking him back into the covers.

Though Russia now felt relieved, as he walked out of the room, he still couldn't help the small ache in his heart for America. Not only was the trauma haunting his mind, but it was also bothering him in his sleep as well. Yet he tried to stay optimistic as he pondered, _I know that he's probably never going to be completely over this, but I hope that he at least doesn't end up losing sleep over some nightmares, if they end up being a common occurrence. Yes, he has annoyed me quite a few times in the past, but no one deserves to suffer with what he's going through at the moment. Especially since he can't even remember all those times he made me irritated._

* * *

 **A/N: I'm sorry if the quality of this chapter is lower than the others, but I'm just starting to feel very embarrassed about something I did a month ago. It's been affecting me somewhat since, but now it's starting to REALLY come back to haunt me. So I kind of feel like crap at the moment. Don't worry though, I'll still make sure to keep updating this story and what not.**


	4. Chapter 4

A week passed since America had been taken care of by the few countries who still had faith in his condition, and Russia was happy to be witnessing some improvements with the nation he had been responsible of caring for. It was true he was still showing signs of fear when he was around his caretaker and he was still having difficulty performing a lot of actions on his own, but at least he was showing more and more trust in the company of the one who fed him and cared for all his needs. Not only that, but he was even willing to tolerate being cuddled and hand-fed (though it was easy to tell he didn't necessarily enjoy this). Even if Russia would've found it to be more convenient if the one he was caring for was civil enough to eat without making a mess, he didn't mind taking time out of the day to try and teach America how to eat as a normal person would; and later give up and do all the work for him, since the other nation didn't appear to be capable of learning how at that moment. Besides, it only created a mess regardless of all the effort he put into attempting to teach him to eat properly. He figured it would probably be best to try and teach America how to eat properly once he was able to sit at the table, anyways, as he was growing more aware of how inconvenient it was to try and teach him while he was still bedridden. At least at the table, any possible messes would be easier to clean up.

The weak sunlight of the afternoon sun during the early spring day filtered through the bedroom window, greeting Russia as he entered the room. In his hands was a plate, holding a somewhat fancy sandwich he made. He walked towards the bed and set the plate on the nightstand. Though the main reason he even bothered entering the room was to feed the nation he was caring for, he still wanted to check on America to make sure he was even in any mood to eat to in the first place. Sometimes, he would end up falling into a deep slumber only five minutes after Russia checked on him, or would appear sickly (he assumed this must have been a result from him unintentionally over-feeding him), and he wouldn't want to bother the poor nation with food if he was either too nauseous or too tired to consume it.

When it appeared America was in fine condition, and had, in fact, become a bit excited when he became aware of the fact that there was now food nearby, Russia figured it was safe pick up the sandwich, and lift it to the hungry nation's mouth. Even if America was a bit excited about being fed, he still couldn't help but be a bit nervous in the presence of the one who had been able to pin him down, the first time they'd ever come face to face, so easily. Though, he didn't hesitate to take a bite out of the sandwich, as he would have during the other time he had been fed. Russia was happy to witness this lack of apprehension.

It'd only been a week, and the brave nation was already showing some trust in him. Yes, it was obvious that suspicion radiated from the piercing gaze he shot towards the one feeding him at that moment, but that was easy to overlook. Especially with the great amount of courage America was showing towards the situation, despite the fact that he'd been traumatized for two years straight. Besides, he understood now there was going to be no way of escaping his current situation until he regained some strength (though, the ones caring for him still probably wouldn't let him go so easily). What Russia loved most about how the young nation handled this lack of control over what had and was happening to him was the fact that he didn't try to fight it too much. It was true he'd put a lot of effort into trying to fight the others off at first, but it appeared that at some point, America was smart enough to understand this was a lost battle, and that it was best to simply go along with what his caretaker wanted from him. Perhaps some would consider this weak of him, but to Russia, he saw this as a sign the young nation was doing a wonderful job keeping his emotions under control.

In fact, since it it was obvious that, even if there was still some fear and hatred within America, he was now able to handle being around the same person who had been taking care of him for a week, Russia figured he was now ready to become more familiar with another individual. Maybe he was even ready to be around three people at once, and even bond with them. Perhaps some people would've found this to be a bit too much of a push, and believe the now less feral than before nation wouldn't be able to handle this, despite how well he was handling being around one person, but Russia believed this push was still worth the risk of causing him a little too much stress. America couldn't stick around only one person forever. He was going to have to accustom to being around and meeting strangers. Besides, if the company became too much for him, and he wanted to leave, his caretaker wasn't going to force him to stay around England and Canada.

When America was finished eating the sandwich, Russia wiped his face with a napkin, in order to rid him of any crumbs before pulling him off the bed in, so he stand him up. At first, the young nation was confused by this action. For what reason would the human need him to be standing? Russia, on the other hand, wanted to find out whether or not the nation was strong enough to walk on his own without any problems. If he was able to walk, he would be able to remove himself from the social situation with ease if he wanted to. With all this in mind, he strode across the room, until he was standing at a yard's distance in front of America, and demanded, "Come here."

At first, Russia believed it was a bit stupid to try and tell the verbally inept nation to come towards him. Some people probably wouldn't have even bothered trying to find out if he understood any commands, after studying him for a week and observing no signs he understood English, or any language for that matter. On the other hand, there was a vast number of words and commands in the English language, and there hadn't been many opportunities for America to prove he understood any words in English, so Russia figured it would've been unfair towards the other nation's intelligence if he didn't give him any more chances to express what knowledge he possibly could have possessed when it came to understanding English. He also figured it was possible that, even if his memory was wiped clean, the nonverbal nation still could've learned some words from being around the scientists.

Much to his surprise (and his relief), America did end up obeying his command, and only after a moment of hesitation. His legs were a bit shaky, since he was weak, due to laying in his bed for such a long time, but it wasn't long before he was standing right in front of the one who had wanted him to move closer. When the pale, blue eyes of the obedient nation gazed expectantly at the one who demanded for the proximity between the two of them, Russia couldn't help but be a bit gleeful at the fact that America was finally able to understand something he'd said, and grabbed the other nation's hand in his own as he lead him out of the room. At first, America was confused as to why the human was gently tugging on his hand, but soon enough, he understood he was simply trying to urge him to move forward and follow him; and so he did.

Though his vision was blurry, and he had trouble distinguishing any objects he happened to pass on his way through the hallway and down the stairs into the living room, America couldn't help but become cautious as he walked through these new surroundings, which were so unfamiliar to him. He was also apprehensive about why the human wanted to drag him through this unfamiliar territory. He was almost tempted to pull away from Russia and flee, but something told him this wasn't a great idea, so he resisted the urge to do so.

When the two nations arrived in the living room, America was shocked to find two other blurry figures there. Despite the fact that he had difficulty trying to decipher exactly what they looked like, he was still able to recognize them as the first two people he'd caught sight of since arriving at this strange place. Panic whirled through his gut as he tried to come up with ways on how he was going to escape from these two people. He was aware that he should've been trying to run away from these people at the moment, but he was too petrified to do so.

Meanwhile, England studied the fear radiating from America's aura before saying, "Russia, I don't think that it's a good idea for him to be around so many people at once right now."

Russia glanced at America for a moment, before stating, "I realize that he might be scared at the moment, but I don't see too much harm coming out of giving him a little push. He can't only stay around one person forever."

After saying this, he let go of America's hand before adding, "Besides, I'm not going to make him stay here, if he wishes to leave."

Though he was becoming even more panicked by the second, to the point where he was on the verge of tears, America couldn't help but appreciate the fact that his hand had been freed of the human's grasp. Now was his chance to escape!

"Look," England retorted, "I know you keep claiming that he's showing a lot of improvement in just one week, but that still doesn't mean he's ready to be around a small group of people. It's only been a week since he's been around us, so please, give him some more time to grow used to his surroundings before dragging him off to hang around a bunch of people he hardly knows."

Now offended by the fact that it appeared as if England disapproved of the way that he was handling the situation, Russia was about to speak up, in order to try and defend his actions. However, he immediately refrained from doing so when he witnessed America darting from the room. Now a bit hurt by the fact that it had become evident the other nation was right, he gave England a look of defeat before following after the young nation.

It didn't take too long for Russia to find America, as the nation was now hiding in a corner of his bedroom; curled up in a futile attempt to try and protect himself in case someone attempted to attack him. A pang of sympathy flooded throughout his heart, as he strode over to where he sat on the floor, and attempted to pull him into a tight embrace. America yelped at the contact, and tried to struggle a bit in an attempt to avoid his touch, but Russia had managed to make him stop flailing around so much after saying in a soft tone, "Nyet, don't be scared."

As America's trembling and panic gradually ebbed away, Russia couldn't help but be even more guilty for trying to force the poor nation to socialize with the others, when he was clearly not ready. _It was stupid of me to think that was a good idea,_ Russia mentally scolded himself, _I thought that a little push would help him, but I should've known that one week is not enough._


	5. Chapter 5

A sweet, buttery aroma drifted into the living room from the kitchen and combated the grogginess Canada had been dealing with that morning. The scent helped him grow more aware of his sweet tooth. Curious about what was being baked, he stood from the couch, and strode toward the room in which the delicious scent was coming from. Though, when he entered the room, some of his excitement for the food being prepared diminished, as he discovered it was Russia who was the one baking a batch of cookies. It was true he had been the one to suggest allowing the intimidating nation to help America, but even if the other nation proved multiple times it was not his intention to harm his brother, Canada still couldn't help but be suspicious of him and wary of what could've been put into the cookies.

Despite the fact that he now believed he was stupid for even becoming excited at the smell of food, (as England wasn't necessarily known for his cooking, Russia wasn't known for being the most trustworthy individual out there, and America wasn't even capable of learning how to cook at that moment) Canada figured it was best to ignore this as he asked, "How come you're making cookies?"

Russia flinched at the sound of Canada's voice; causing the younger of the two nations to sigh silently with annoyance. Though, Russia appeared to be oblivious to his irritation as he stated, "I didn't notice you enter the room."

He returned to scrapping off the cookies from the pan and placing them on a cooling rack as he explained, "I just thought that everyone could use a little treat. We've all been eating nothing but healthy food for an entire week, and yes, it tastes fine, but it kind of gets boring after a while. Besides, I want to have Fredka explore the hallway upstairs so that he can become more familiar with it, and I just thought that giving him some treats would make him more willing to do so."

"Well, that's very considerate of you," Canada stated, and added, " but don't try to force him to leave his room if he doesn't want to."

"Alright."

The two of them remained silent while Russia prepared another batch of cookies to put in the oven, and when he'd completed the task and set a timer, he told Canada, "I think the cookies are cooled off now. Why don't you have one?"

Even if Canada was still a bit mistrusting towards Russia, he didn't want to make the other nation suspicious of his lack of trust. Besides, he figured it would be plain rude to reject a food offer when he clearly wasn't sick or full. Perhaps others would have no problem rejecting this offer, but sometimes, the silliest things made him guilty, and as awkward as it may have been, saying no to someone was something he believed required a lot of guts. He already had trouble socializing with other people at times, and he didn't want to risk offending others, or coming off as rude. If he did manage to do this, he believed things would only become worse for him.

With all this in mind, Canada walked over to the cooling rack in order to grab a cookie, but there was no denying the fact that he was hesitant in doing so, as even if he didn't want to come off as rude for rejecting the food offer, he was still a shy individual, and the fact that someone had been willing to give him as much as a cookie, especially someone who was quite intimidating, was overwhelming to him. Despite the fact that he didn't want to come off as rude and reject the food offer, he still wasn't going to take a bite from the cookie until Russia ate one of the cookies himself. Though he figured that it wasn't very likely that the other nation would try something, England had always managed to find ways to make him grow suspicious, as the Brit sometimes would talk about ways Russia could easily take advantage of the situation. It wasn't as if he lacked sense when he went about sharing these paranoid speculations either. Some of the things he said that Russia could do sent chills up Canada's spine. It wasn't surprising for England to be knowledgeable on how to conquer other countries either. After all, he'd once ruled over a large portion of the world, so it wasn't as if he would be incapable of coming up with ways Russia could take advantage of one nation.

He was relieved to find, not long after he'd grabbed a cookie, Russia grabbed one himself and ate it without even glancing at Canada and questioning why he wasn't eating his. _Well, he wouldn't be eating the cookie if he put something strange in them, now, would he?,_ Canada pondered, as he bit into his own cookie.

It was when the second batch of cookies was removed from the oven when Russia said, "I'm going to go try and urge Fredka to explore the hallway now."

"Alright," was all Canada replied with before Russia gathered a couple cookies and walked out of the room.

It'd been two days since Russia had tried and failed to have America become more familiar with the other two nations, and this time, he was hoping that giving the young nation a reward for being brave, and only having him explore one section of the house was going to make help him be more comfortable in his own home, instead of scaring him. Maybe he would even become more curious for what else was in the house, and restore some memories from exploring the building.

When Russia entered America's room, in order to determine if he was awake enough to do a bit of exploring, Russia was excited to find that he was, in fact, wide awake, and immediately walked over to him to try and urge him to stand up. However, America appeared to be confused by this action, and soon became a bit nervous about what the other nation's intention was. It wasn't long before he formed an idea in his head that his bed was no longer a safe place for him to stay, and was up against a wall, while the other nation in the room panicked as he tried to come up with a way to help the young nation get over his fear. It wasn't as if he was being rough with the other nation. All he did was gently try to urge him out of bed, and the mistrusting nation freaked out.

In an attempt to try and make the young nation more comfortable around him, and to apologize for frightening him, Russia broke off a chunk from one of the cookies he'd brought with him, and handed it to America. At first, the other was apprehensive toward the food being provided to him, but it wasn't long before the curiosity toward what it was urged him to take the piece of cookie from his caretaker's hand and take a nibble from it to determine how it's flavor. The satisfying, sugary, and buttery taste of the chocolate chip cookie melted into his tongue and sent a wave of reassurance throughout his body, causing him to be pleasantly surprised by how tasty and innocent the treat was. Not even the smoothies or the sandwiches, which had been his favorite foods Russia would feed him, could amount to what the chunk of chocolate chip cookie had to offer.

Even if he was still a bit scared of what his caretaker wanted from him at that moment, America still couldn't help but be more enthusiastic about what Russia wanted him to do. He could still see that there was some of the chocolate chip cookies left, and he was hoping that maybe if he was obedient, the human would give him more. Which was why he didn't struggle when Russia grabbed his hand into his own, despite how reluctant he was to go along with this action, and walked out of the room with his caretaker.

Exploring and helping America become more familiar with the hallway and what was inside of each room had not been such a long process. In all reality, there weren't too many rooms to examine in the first place. Other from his bedroom, there was a bathroom, a closet, and a couple guest rooms. Most of the items the rooms contained were difficult for the young nation to understand the purpose of, so Russia believed there was no use in even bothering to try and explain their reason of existence (not that the one he was caring for would understand what he was trying to say, anyway). Even if he had the urge to do so, he didn't bother telling America who stayed in what room either, and who stayed in the guest's room downstairs. Instead, he let him observe his surroundings and figure out on his own what the rooms were all about, if he wanted to.

When he was finished becoming more familiar with the rooms in the hallway, Russia gave him the cookies as a reward for being obedient, and America couldn't help but be delighted by the fact that his prediction of what would happen if he went along with his caretakers plan actually turned out to be true. After leading the young nation back to his bedroom, Russia couldn't help but hug him due to how adorable he believed America was as he snacked on the cookies in delight, instead of being so fearful. At least it was a vast improvement from a week ago.

Perhaps the human wasn't so terrible after all. It wasn't as if he'd ever tried to harm America, and the food he gave him was great, and contained no substance that would cause him any harm. Maybe, the place he was in wasn't too terrible either, but that still didn't mean that the young nation would give into his seemingly innocent surroundings so easily. Just because Russia had shown him nothing but kindness for an entire week, and at least tried to be understanding toward what he was going through, didn't mean everything that was going on wasn't some facade hiding a brutal trap. He suspected it wouldn't be wise to let his guard down. It wasn't as if he had known this human for a long time, anyway.

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 **A/N: I realize that it may have seemed awkward, or even a bit out of character for Canada to be so hesitant about being offered a cookie. Especially since, despite still having some suspicion towards what Russia's motive might be, he's still more trusting towards him than England is. It's just that based on my own personal experience, back when I used to be more shy, I believed that people thought poorly of me. And I don't mean in the way of, "Oh, they might find me annoying, so people might not like me much for that." Instead, I believed that people absolutely DESPISED me, and thought that life would be easier if I just stayed out of the way. Thus why I tried to avoid talking to people, or eat in their presence. I thought that most people would find it revolting if something as 'disgusting' as me ate in their presence, because I thought that they believed I didn't deserve to eat, but only allowed me to do so because it would just be cruel to starve someone.**

 **I understand that these thoughts may seem completely irrational, and that some may believe that there is no way an intelligent individual like Canada could ever have these thoughts, even if he is shy. I'm just one person, with only my personal experience, so I don't know what goes in the minds of other shy people, who possibly might even suffer from social anxiety (I'm not saying all shy people suffer from this). So I apologize if anything in that part of the story bothered someone.**


	6. Chapter 6

A week had passed and America was restoring his energy and becoming more healthy than he had been when he was first discovered in his half conscious, twitchy state. Due to these improvements in the young nation's health, as well as his increased amount of energy, Russia was finding the task of caring for him to be tiring. No, he wasn't trying to attack him or escape from his company, but attempting to feed him and care for his hygiene was becoming a hassle. Especially when it came to caring for his hair. Whenever he tried to comb his hair, America would always try to move away from him and swat the comb away. On the occasion where there was a small tangle and his caretaker accidentally caused him a bit of pain, in an attempt to rid his hair of it, he would wiggle around, and one time, he ended up elbowing Russia while doing this (but he wasn't angry with the young nation for doing this, as he understood it was only an accident). He sort of wished he'd combed the other nation's hair more often than once or twice a day. It was obvious the one he was caring for was not used to having his hair combed, and he'd been lying in bed all day every day for one and a half weeks now. The fact that he was laying down for long periods of time, as well as how thick his hair was, despite having been starved for two years, it was bound to be tangled easy despite it's short length. Combing it often would make it easier to take care of, and make America more comfortable with having his hair cared for, since he wouldn't have to deal with the pain of having a tangle tugged at every now and then. Besides, to him, he sometimes believed the other nation was trying to make his hair messy.

The fact that America had no care in the world for whether or not he was making himself appear unkempt only made the task of grooming him more tedious. Russia understood this was no fault of the one he was caring for, as he didn't have a clue that what he was doing was irritating and had never been taught to keep himself neat, but at the same time, he was losing his patience with this behavior.

Another factor, which had added stress to his day, was the fact that England needed to go somewhere all day and Canada was busy with some work of his own. This meant he would have to make all of the meals for America himself. Sure, he loved to cook, but when he was already busy and didn't have much time to sit down and rest, it became a chore to him. He wouldn't even mind having England make some of the meals, as long as he didn't touch the oven. At least America was able to enjoy his sandwiches and smoothies.

For once, he was actually happy when America fell asleep. Sure, having to care for a more energetic and uncivil adult for a day hadn't been the worst thing he had to deal with in his life, and he was sure it wasn't going to happen every day. He didn't understand why the other nation was being more difficult than he usually was. Though, he had guessed it might have had something to do with the fact that he'd introduced a bunch of concepts of everyday life to him, and that had ended up overwhelming him. Of course he wasn't going to understand everything right away, and it was understandable he was going to be a bit difficult if he didn't have a clue as to what he was supposed to do in these new events.

Russia did not take for granted the fact that the one he was caring for had fallen asleep early and spent every second he didn't have to be around him to try and make himself relax. Besides, he didn't have any paper work to do at that moment either, since he'd finished it during the day, so it was a rare occasion he'd rather not waste.

As time passed by, dark clouds covered the once clear sky, and it hadn't been long before a strike of lightening shot out of these clouds. The rumble of thunder that followed soon after startled America out of his peaceful slumber. Upon awakening from his pleasant dream, he searched the room with confusion as best as his blurry vision would allow him to; trying to figure out what the source of the sound was. Since the first rumble hadn't been too loud, though, he figured it was best to shrug off his anxiousness toward what ever the noise could be, and curled up with his head on the pillow in an attempt to fall asleep once more. Unfortunately, another strike of lightning lit up the sky; illuminating the room with it's whitish blue flash. This time, the rumble of thunder that followed afterwards was louder.

Lifting his head from the pillow, America sat up and tried fathom what the noise was, what it came from, and what the producer of the sound's motives were. He'd never recalled experiencing such a noise in his life, and he was growing nervous about why his surroundings were sometimes lighting up and rumbling. He was also confused about why there was a loud pitter patter accompanying this strange occurrence. He'd heard the unfamiliar sound a few times while he was being cared for by Russia, and it had always made him nervous, since he'd never experienced it before while he was still a prisoner of the scientists. The difference between the current situation, and the few times it had rained in the past, however, was the fact that his caretaker would express to him a few comforting gestures, in order to show the weather outside was nothing out of the ordinary, and that he didn't need to worry about what was going on. Even though he was still terrified of his caretaker, despite the fact that he'd shown him nothing but compassion and understanding toward his trauma and physical condition, he still wanted to be right next to him at that moment and to have him communicate to him through physical affection that he didn't need to be afraid of the foreign events going on outside.

America continued to hug his legs to his torso, while trying his best to keep himself together as the thunder from the rainstorm became louder and louder every time lightning struck. Whimpers were threatening to start pouring out of his mouth, but he tried to stifle them as best as he could. Much to his adversity, however, another rumble of thunder, this time deafening compared to the previous rumbles, caused America to lose it. He couldn't help but let out a short scream due to the fear. Tears were now sliding down his face and tickling his chin, but he didn't care. All he wanted was for whatever was causing the noise to go away.

As America continued to tremble on the corner of his bed, he wasn't even able to be the slightest bit relieved when hurried footstep approached him. Instead, he remained curled up in a ball, covering his ears with his hands in a futile attempt to block out any noise.

Aware of America's scream, Canada was not angry with having been interrupted from his work, in order to find out what was going on with America. Nor was Russia disappointed when his session of relaxation had been interrupted. Instead, they couldn't help but be worried for what had caused the poor nation to scream. What if he'd accidentally hurt himself?

When the two nations arrived in the room, Russia strode over to America's side, in order to try and figure out what was going on with him while Canada turned on the light, so he would be easier to examine. At first glance, the young nation didn't appear to be injured in any way. Instead, he appeared to only be scared. As Russia studied the other for any signs of injury for a few moments, he reached out his arms to gently urge America to uncurl himself, so he could be sure he wasn't suffering with any sort of pain or physical discomfort. However, as soon as Russia laid a hand on him, he had ended up immediately uncurling himself, and struck his caretaker before he even had time to react.

Russia held a hand to his cheek, as a bruising pain developed in the abused area of his face. At the sight of this sudden action, Canada acted on instinct, and made an attempt to lunge toward his brother in order to restrain him. However, he was halted from doing this, as the one who'd just been punched held out his arm as to motion him to not go any closer to the frightened nation. At first, the Canadian had been confused as to why he was being prevented from moving any closer to his brother, but when Russia glanced over at America, he could see a large amount of regret decorating his face. Considering the fact that Canada was, at the moment, unaware of the reason why he didn't want him to go any closer to the scared nation, he figured it was best to explain, "Don't restrain him, it's only going to end up scaring him even more. He realizes what he did, and he feels guilty for it, so it's not very likely that he'll do it again."

Russia put his arm down after he was finished speaking and slowly approached America once more. This time when he touched him, the other nation didn't react, and it wasn't long before the young nation was enveloped into a hug. Yet another rumble of thunder followed after a strike of lightning, which had caused the other nation to cling onto the one who was holding him as tightly as he could. While he continued to comfort America, Russia told Canada, "It seems as if the thunderstorm was really scaring him."

"Oh," was what Canada said in reply, before adding, "I was kind of able to guess that. Well, since it looks like you have this under control, I guess that you won't be needing me."

Russia didn't say anything as the shy nation walked out of the room and was oblivious to the fact that, even though he believed there were now only two people in the room, they were both still being watched. Instead, he continued to cuddle the trembling nation in his arms until the thunderstorm died down and when the one he was holding no longer appeared to be scared. He tried to stand up in order to leave, after feeling as if his job of comforting the scared nation had been complete, but he was prevented from doing this when the other nation grabbed his arm. He turned his head to gaze at America, only to find the poor nation was begging through his eyes for him to stay. A slight ache in his heart formed at the sight of those sweet, blue eyes pleading wanting his company, which made him figure he didn't have the heart to walk away from the other nation, and so he sat back down in the bed and pulled America into a hug.

At that point, America was too exhausted to care for the fact that Russia was a human and allowed himself to relax in the other nation's arms as his hair was being stroked. It wasn't long at all until this action lulled him to sleep.

As much as Russia wanted to stay with the young nation, now that he was comfortable holding him and had in fact wanted to cuddle with him that night, in case he became scarred again, he he suspected that England and Canada would probably not approve of this, and so he settled for lying America down on the bed and tucking him in. After that, he left the room, and resumed to reading the book he'd been reading before he ran up the stairs to help Alfred out. Somehow, the event ended up making him much more calm than when he first tried to make himself relax, but he didn't want to question this, and instead wanted to read as much as he could before going to bed.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hello guys, sorry for not updating this in a while. I've just been really busy, since it's the end of the school year and all. Thank god tomorrow's the last day. Sucks that I still have two more exams to do. Exams can go die :(**

 **So yeah, hopefully I'll have more time to update this summer, but I do have a bit of homework I need to do for AP biology, and some other things I will be doing as well.**

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It'd been four weeks since Russia and England had discussed what they could do about the eye appointment America was in need of, and once again, the uncivil nation's caretaker had his decision, about the one he was caring for being ready to visit a doctor within three weeks, proven faulty. This was all due to the fact that after three weeks had passed, America had still shown no signs of being comfortable in the unfamiliar environment, which was his own home, despite the fact that Russia had spent much time trying to make him more familiar with every room in the building. In that same time, he was unable to make him comfortable around Canada or England either. Even if things didn't appear to being going too well with this at first glance, the three nations caring for him could tell there was still progress being made. This was possibly due to the fact that they still had faith in the poor nation's condition, and were therefore, willing to squint in order to detect the minute details of progression in America's behavior. This was something all three of them were aware of; the nations who doubted their vulnerable convalescent would be unable, or more accurately, unwilling to view things the way they did due to the lack of faith they had, and the more time spent spent watching America's condition slowly improve, the more shameful they found the harsh assumptions.

Despite three weeks not being enough time, four weeks had surprisingly turned out to be a much better. In fact, it was perfect. Not only was it the time in which they had found an eye doctor who was willing to take up the challenge of handling America, but they also had the credentials to prove they were able to handle strange cases such as his. Perhaps it wasn't far of a stretched, from what was normally expected of an eye doctor, to take care of a full grown male who was uncivil, but they still wanted to be on the safe side and not have any random doctor, especially one who wouldn't be able to communicate to him too well, take up the job.

Another reason why four weeks had been a decent amount of time to wait was because America had become more comfortable around the other three nations. Sure, he still held his suspicions at times, and would sometimes flinch whenever he wasn't expecting one of them to approach him, but it was still a vast improvement, nonetheless.

The three nations caring for him spent the first half of the morning making sure he was ready for the appointment. In a normal situation, it wouldn't have taken someone so long to prepare for this sort of thing, but as always, he was being difficult.

Despite the many baths he was given during the time he was under their care, he would still refuse to keep his head up and his eyes shut tight whenever one of the nations needed to rinse his hair out, no matter how many times they tried to hint the fact that he should do this, or try to keep his head tilted up. Due to his refusal to cooperate, he would end up shutting his eyes in agony when the shampoo or conditioner slid into his them. This sudden pain would also cause him to try and lean as far away as possible from the one who was bathing him, as if he believed they had hurt him on purpose. It would take quite a bit of time in order for America to be over the shock, and since trying to keep him still was pointless for the two weaker caretakers, they would wait until he calmed down a bit before wiping his eyes with a wet washcloth. Since this would always rid him of the pain in his eyes, he would sometimes forgive them for 'purposely' inflicting pain upon him.

Then there was the fact that whenever they tried to make him eat his food like a civil human being, he would end up making a mess regardless of their efforts. As disgusting and exasperating as it was, they understood it would be wrong to be angry with America about this. It wasn't as if he could help the fact that he was a messy eater (especially since he already sort of was one when he still had his memory, though not nearly as messy as he was in his current condition). He didn't know any better, and they were sure if they continued to teach him how to eat properly, he would become more polite at the table.

What was most annoying about preparing America for the eye appointment was the fact the it was difficult to change his clothes. He would always make a fuss, since the process was so strange and uncomfortable to him. Attempting to slip some shoes onto his feet was even more laborious. He would always try to kick them off whenever so much as a centimeter of his feet were in them. At this point in the morning, the three nations caring for him were growing tired of this difficult behavior, and since there wasn't much more time until the appointment, Russia held his legs still so that they could put his shoes on. He understood this action would only end up creating anxiety within the American, but at the same time, he figured there had to be a point where it was necessary to show America he needed to be more obedient, and let them do what they needed to do. At least keeping his legs restrained for a minute wasn't the too horrible, even if it did cause the one he was caring for a bit of extra stress. He knew that the young nation would be fine.

America had tried to tug off the shoes, but he was finding it rather difficult to do so, much to everyone's relief. Based on the way he was trying to pull them off, it didn't seem as if he'd had yet figured out that he would need to untie the laces first (they'd been tied tightly enough so that it would be difficult for him to slip the shoes off). It was when they were in the car that he'd given up on trying to remove the shoes, and decided that trying to unbuckle his seat belt was more important than ridding himself of the strange bundles of leather and rubber binding his feet. Of course, no one was at all okay with this new objective of his, and so they waited until Russia had managed to make him stop attempting to remove his seat belt before starting up the car.

Since America was now unable to rid himself of the two things that were 'binding' him, his irritation only became much worse as he sat there and waited for them to arrive at the doctor's. Russia noticed this high level of anxiety, and decided to try and comfort him in an attempt to make him feel better. At first, being hugged with one arm had slightly heightened his anxiety, but it wasn't long before he started to feel a bit better about what was going on, and as time passed on during the car ride, his breathing had evened out.

What had been a large reassurance to the three nations that were responsible for taking care of America was the fact that they had set up this appointment so that no one, except for them and the doctor, would be around the uncivil nation. They knew that it would be better for everyone if random people weren't sitting around in a lobby while America was in it. They just knew that there would be all sorts of trouble caused, and that the strangers would not only make the poor nation feel extremely uncomfortable, but they would probably end up being appalled by his rude, animalistic behavior. Besides, no one would want to have the explain the reasoning as to why a full grown adult was acting so strange, without revealing too much. That would just be nerve racking. Aside from this set up being less of a hassle, it also meant that when they entered the building and were near the room in which the doctor would be working with the young nation, they wouldn't have to wait for so long to start the appointment.

It seemed as if upon arriving at the door towards the room, the doctor had heard them approaching, as the door had been opened the moment they arrived. A smile decorated the doctor's face when she caught sight of her patient, and it wasn't long after she emerged from behind the door that America decided that it would be better for him to hide from her, and so he slipped behind Russia's tall form; hoping that he could use his larger figure as a shield against the stranger. As much as he still didn't trust his caretaker, at least he knew him better and was more willing to put his life at risk for him, rather than for this woman.

Unfortunately, Russia wasn't going to allow him to hide from the doctor, as he moved himself so that he would no longer be in front of the scared nation, and began to gently push him towards the towards the woman. The friendly smile remained on the doctors face and she appeared to be unfazed by the shy behavior, as there was not even the slightest bit of judgement in her green eyes. Instead, Canada could detect a glint of sympathy within them; as if she could understand America's fear perfectly. The doctor gave no verbal acknowledgement towards the way the young nation was feeling, though, as she told the frightened man in front of him, "Hello, my name is Dr. Stephens."

She knew that it was pointless to try and introduce herself to him, as she had been informed before hand that the man in front of her couldn't speak, or understand any form of verbal communication. She didn't see any harm in expressing a friendly tone towards him, though, in the hopes of making him feel better.

Confusion began to pick at America's mind when he heard the woman's voice. Never had he heard a human speak with a voice that sounded so high pitched. Sure, it wasn't squeaky or revolting, but it was definitely much higher than the husky voice a man would often have. In fact, the sound was soft on his ears, and somewhat pleasant to listen to. Feeling a bit more at ease in the woman's presence, he decided to examine what he could of her figure with his blurry vision. He was shocked to find that the human wasn't so large at all. In fact, she was more than half of a foot shorter than him, and appeared to be a bit on the slender side as well. Noticing the vast size difference between them, he figured that she wouldn't be much of a threat at all. There was also something else about her that was different from the scientists that he couldn't quite put his finger on. He shrugged this off, though.

The doctor's smile grew brighter when it looked as if America was becoming more calm in her presence, while everyone else in the room became confused by the sudden relaxed demeanor. Ignoring the confusion, Dr. Stephens told them, "Why don't you guys come into my office now?"

The eye appointment had gone much better than expected. Even if America did sometimes grow confused and a little nervous about the procedures being performed on him, he still maintained his composure, and was well behaved while the doctor did her job. Not once didn't he try to move away from her, or fidget when he needed to stay still. This nonchalant behavior throughout the procedure made the three other males even more confused. Sure, the doctor wasn't causing the young nation any harm, but they still would've expected him to start panicking at some point.

Then, England realized something. All of the scientists who had tortured America for two years straight were men. It was men who had hurt him, not women. In fact, he was sure that it was possible the uncivil nation had probably never seen a single woman since he had his memory wiped. This caused the situation to make much more sense, and in fact, he was sort of happy with the fact that not all humans were frightening to his former colony. Though this still did make him feel a bit terrible for the fact that, all thanks to a certain group of men, poor America believed an entire gender wanted to hurt him, and that was simply not true. He didn't blame his former colony for this fear of males, as he didn't know any better, nor could he help the fact that he'd been traumatized by them. Instead, this all became another reason for him to loathe the scientists who inflicted non-stop suffering upon the poor nation. He really hoped that they would suffer for a very, very long time for this.

When the appointment was finally over, the doctor had rewarded America with a small piece of chocolate for handling the procedures well, and to make him feel better about the slight discomforts he had to deal with. Of course, the young nation was delighted by this, and savored the piece of chocolate that was handed to him.

As much as he had wanted to stay around the woman, he knew that he would have to leave, now that he was being urged to leave the room. For once, since he'd lost his memory, he actually felt an empty pit expand in his stomach at the idea of leaving another human being. He didn't understand what this strange emotion was, but he wasn't at all a fan of it, and wished that it would go away. Even if he was feeling miserable, though, he still wanted to express his gratitude towards the woman by giving her a look that showed he would miss her. It was the only way he knew how to say 'farewell' in his current state of mind.


	8. Chapter 8

A week had passed since the eye appointment, and after the three more functional of the four nations had ordered the glasses, they had been informed that they would receive said spectacles in about seven days. Even if it was beginning to seem as if the glasses were going to be a bit late, since the current day was Sunday and it was the eighth day of their wait, they were still willing to remain patient. This was mostly because of the fact that America's lack of eye wear didn't seem to be too much of a problem. Sure, even for someone who was near-sighted, he appeared to be quite blind, and he would sometimes bump into things, or would become confused as to who was who (the other three could tell that he was at least able to decipher a few of the obvious differences between them by now, they just didn't believe that facial recognition was his strong suit at that moment, so whenever they were all sitting down; which made it difficult for him to study their physical bodies through his blurry vision, they would all end up looking about the same to him). This came to them as no surprise, though, as the eye doctor did warn them that he was close to being considered legally blind, but that was fortunately without any eye lenses, so obviously, they would have nothing to worry about once he received his glasses, as it would mean that he would be far from actually being considered legally blind. After all, it wasn't very likely, due to the fact that his vision didn't really change at all over the past two years, that his eyesight would remain horrible while wearing the spectacles. At least he was used to being practically blind, which was why he didn't seem to have too much trouble navigating throughout the house, other than sometimes running into things.

Even if they were willing to wait a couple of extra days for the glasses to come, they still wanted them to arrive as soon as possible, since all three of them believed that it would be easier for America to have a physical if he had them. The reasons as to why they hadn't had a doctor check the nation's condition yet was because for one, he was still somewhat blind, and they wanted him to be able to see what was going on during the appointment so that he wouldn't be as afraid of what was going on. For another, America didn't really show any signs of having any severe health problems yet. The reason why they still wanted him to go, regardless of the lack of obvious health problems, though, was because of the possibility of there being a rouge, long term health condition that could've been caused by either the scientists, or the damaged economy (of course, it wasn't as if the nation had become a third world country yet, but after what his ex-boss had done to his country, it had become somewhat harder for his people to survive). There was no harm in making sure that everything was alright with him. Even if he was a nation, and that made him stronger and more durable than any human that ever existed.

Despite the fact that America wasn't having too much trouble navigating through the house, since he was pretty much used to being nearly blind by now, the nations that were caring for him still wanted to keep an eye on him to make sure that nothing too terrible would happen. There had been one time during the past week when he'd been pacing around the living room (Russia hadn't been sure whether it was because he was bored, or that he had just wanted to look around the room, but when he tried to provide him with some entertainment at that particular moment, the young nation just gave him a look of confusion, as a sign that he didn't understand the purpose of his caretaker's action, and continued on with what he was doing). At first, no one had thought anything of the nonstop pacing, as the floor had been clear of any small objects that could trip or hurt the wandering nation, and he'd, for the most part, stayed away from the furniture, so that he wouldn't end up hurting himself from that as well.

At least, that was until he decided that exploring the clear area of the living room was suddenly too boring for him, and began to make his way out of the room at a much quicker pace. That was, until his new objective had been interrupted by the coffee table in the middle of the living room. America had not noticed the rouge object in the room, due to how short it was compared to him despite it being wide, and considering the fact that the table was only as tall as half of his leg, tripping on it was easy for him to manage. Not only did doing this cause a bruise to form on one of his legs, but he also ended up landing so that his chin clashed with the hard surface of the table, and a loud clank from his teeth could be heard by anyone who'd been within a yard's radius of the nation during the collision.

Russia, the one who had been keeping an eye on him during that time, had not expected that sudden accident to happen. Though he did feel guilty for not doing a better job of watching him, he knew that it would do him no good to dwell on his mistake, and instead made sure to slowly and carefully lift the young nation from the coffee table. He also couldn't help but feel a bit panicked when he noticed some blood dripping out of America's mouth. When he examined the nation's mouth, though, to see where the blood was coming from, he was relieved to find that he'd only bitten the inside of his cheek during accident, and that the wound wasn't too terrible at all. Since America was a nation, he would have no problem over coming the bite. Though the young nation had looked a bit upset about hurting himself on the coffee table, so Russia had decided to try and make him feel better by giving him something cold and sweet. Not only would the sweet taste help cheer him up and distract him from the pain, but his caretaker also figured that something cold would help his cheek heal.

After that incident, America did not want anything to do with the coffee table, and had tried his best to stay as far away from it as possible. He also appeared to be much more careful about where he wandered in the house, and walked much more slowly in order to avoid tripping or bumping into things. The other nations were happy with the fact that the young nation had learned from his tripping incident (even though the event did cause him a bit of pain), and that he had decided to be more careful than before about walking around the house. It wasn't as if he had never even bothered to try to be cautious about where he was going before, but they had figured that after a while of not bumping into anything, he'd grown a bit cocky about walking around the house with his horrible vision.

In fact, the other three had obtained so much confidence in America's ability to safely walk around the house that they figured there would be no need to keep an eye out for him every single second of the day, and had allowed him to be independent about where he roamed (though, they kept any doors that led outside locked, as they didn't want the nation to run away, or to become lost in the vast outdoors).

This, however, they had come to realize was a huge mistake, as one night, when Russia had forgotten to turn the light on in the room that he and the young nation were in, due to the fact that he personally didn't need it and hadn't remembered the fact that America would just so that everything would be easier for him to see, the one he was keeping an eye on had ended up tripping over yet another table. This time, the table had a vase on it, and the sound of shattering glass was what had averted Russia's attention from whatever he'd been doing before the incident, and caused him to rush towards the one he was caring for just to make sure he was alright. This time, after tripping and hurting himself, America was curled up on the floor and holding his ribs; looking winded from the impact his body had the misfortune of dealing with.

Making sure that the two of them avoided the broken glass on the floor, in order to prevent anymore more potential injury, Russia helped stand America up as he checked to make sure that there was no severe damage done to his ribs. It wasn't long after he started helping the young nation out after the accident that he heard another person enter the room. Before the said individual had neared the scene, though, Russia made sure to speak up in order to warn them of the danger that was littered all over the floor, "Don't get too close to this table. There's broken glass on the floor around it."

Russia glanced at whoever entered the room to find that it was Canada. It didn't appear as if the broken glass on the floor was what had worried him the most at that moment, though. Instead, all of his attention was focused on his brother. With concern radiating from his tone, Canada inquired, "Is he going to be okay? He looks like he's in a lot of pain."

"I'm sure that he's going to be fine," Russia answered, in the hopes of making the twin of the one he was caring for feel better about the situation at hand, "I checked his ribs, and it didn't seem as if anything was broken. It looks like he was only winded by the impact of hitting the table. He's probably going to have a bruise, though."

"Well, at least nothing is broken. I think he should lay down for the rest of the night, though. It looks like that accident really hurt him, and he's still pretty weak from all of that trauma he went through for two years, so this might be affecting him more than it usually would. Laying down might make the pain more bearable for him."

Russia glanced over at America to study his current condition. The young nation had both of his hands covering the area of his torso he'd just hurt, as if he was desperate to believe that holding himself this way would help the pain go away. He was also slouched and leaning against his caretakers form; a sign that he didn't want to be standing any longer. Wrapping one arm around America, in order to help hold him up so that he didn't have to put so much energy into standing, Russia replied to the advice Canada had just given him, "I think you're right about him not wanting to stand right now. I'll go lay him down, then."

Before the two of them began to make their way into the living room, so that the hurt nation could lay down on the couch (Russia didn't want to take America all the way upstairs, as he figured that walking wasn't something that the young nation would want to do at all during that moment, even if he was being physically supported by another person), Canada stated, "I'll go get an ice pack, and clean up this broken glass so that it isn't a burden to you."

"Thanks, Matvey," was all Russia said, before he headed out of the room with the one he was caring for.

Upon entering the living room, Russia had been quick to remove all of the unnecessary objects he had left on the couch before checking on the one he was currently helping out, before slowly, and carefully (as to not cause him any more pain) lifting the nation that was once standing next to him up and setting him down on the couch. Before leaving the room in order to retrieve a blanket for the hurt nation, he made sure to place a pillow under America's head to help him become comfortable. When he did grab the blanket that he deemed perfect for making the young nation comfortable and returned to the living room after going upstairs to grab it, he made sure that it was wrapped tightly around the form of the one he was caring for, but not before he grabbed the ice pack that Canada had left for him on the coffee table and placed it on the area of America's torso that had been hurting. At first, it had been a bit of a struggle to try and keep the ice pack on his ribs, as the young nation flinched and squirmed and tried to push it away, as how frigid it felt compared to the warmth of the blanket was, at first, only succeeding in making him feel uncomfortable. Fortunately, though, after a while of being forced to keep the ice pack on his torso, the young nation began to realize that the cold was helping him overcome his pain, and so he had eventually given up on the struggle of trying to remove the chilly discomfort, and instead, decided to embrace it.

For the rest of the time that America was still awake, Russia had decided to sit down on the area of the floor next to the couch and keep his fellow comrade company. He didn't think that the young nation would necessarily need the comfort. After all, he did appear to be much more content, now that he was wrapped in a thick blanket and laying on a couch, rather than when he'd just hurt himself. The reason why he wanted to hang around him and cuddle him while he slowly drifted off was not only because he didn't really have anything else to do at that moment, and that he was in a cuddly mood. There was just something about seeing others in pain that made Russia feel a lot of sympathy for those people, and made him want to make them feel better through snuggles. Especially if that certain someone had an innocent state of mind, such as America at that current moment with his memories erased.

Considering the fact that Russia was much older than America, he felt as if it was his moral obligation to help him over come his current condition. He even felt as if he should protect him as if he was his own child. Some people probably would find this to be a bit creepy, or even view it as an insult to the young nation's accomplishments, but just because his caretaker had this desire, didn't mean that he necessarily thought of the American as weak, or dependent. He was well aware of all the of the accomplishments the nation had achieved at his very young age, along with his capability to be independent. He just thought that it would be unethical to not even attempt to help the America out in his time of great need. No nation had ever had their memory wiped (at least, Russia was not aware of any nations that had had their memories wiped), which meant that this was a problem that no one quite knew how to deal with, and the more people who were willing to try and figure out how to help, the better. Besides, things would be so much harder for the young nation if he had to overcome this obstruction on his own. In fact, it would almost be impossible, since there were many countries who possibly had an interest in conquering him in his vulnerable state, and would want to keep him down by making sure that his memory was never recovered. These considerations were all some of the reasons why Russia wanted to help the young nation out.

While Russia continued to run his fingers though America's soft, wheat colored hair, he spoke to him in a voice that was almost a whisper, despite him not being able to understand a word he was saying, "I'm sorry for not turning on the light when it started getting dark. I'm sure that accident wouldn't have happened if I was paying more attention. It's definitely one-hundred percent my fault this time."

America felt himself becoming even more relaxed, as he listened to the soft tone coming from his caretaker. He didn't understand how any noise that came from a human could be so soothing to him. Especially when that human was a man. Yet this still didn't stop him from enjoying the concept he was still completely unfamiliar with.

Seeing as America was growing more comfortable in his presence just from listening to his voice, Russia continued to speak in the same, soft tone, "I hope those glasses are going to finally be here tomorrow. I'm sick of seeing you sometimes struggle with your horrible eyesight. Besides, you deserve to be able to see the world as more clear and beautiful, not as some blurry mess. I remember hearing someone once say that, after only seeing the world with horrible vision your whole life, you become amazed by how beautiful the world looks when you first put on a pair of glasses. I hope that you will be amazed by the change too. Maybe for once, you will actually smile when you finally see what the world really looks like. I haven't seen you smile once since we saved you from those scientists, so I guess you must have forgotten how to do so. I'm sure you'll learn how pretty quick, though, once you're able to properly see us do it. I can't wait to see it. You probably have one of the most contagious and adorable smiles I've ever seen."

America showed no signs of understanding the significance of the compliment whatsoever, but was still willing to show appreciation towards the affection and attention that was liberally being given to him at that moment by scooching closer to Russia in the hopes of being able to cuddle with him as best as he could while his caretaker was sitting on the floor. He didn't understand how being spoiled with this strange attention (at least to him it was strange; to everyone else, it would be seen as affection) could make him feel so at peace. It was even able to bring about that strange, unfamiliar warmth in his stomach that made him feel all fuzzy on the inside. He couldn't even begin to fathom what this meant, or why he felt the way he did, but he didn't want to question it. It was much better than the draining, shaky feeling that fear gave him; as well as the lung squeezing agony of panic and the skin prickling, boiling sensation of humiliation.

Sure, there still was something within him that tried to urge him to move away from the human in front of him. The small paranoia kept explaining to him the best that it could in his nonverbal mind that the creature in front of him was dangerous and disgusting. That it's only intention was to hurt anything that wasn't like it. It didn't need a valid reason to do so. It was just in it's nature to be pleased by the pain of other creatures. Yet, America ignored the traumatizing memories the irrational (or perhaps, it would be considered rational, depending on how one were to view it) suspicion tried to play in his head. He was too tired to want to listen to his instinct, and instead, closed his eyes as he continued to allow himself to be caressed by the gentle, protective hands of the human in front of him. The human had shown him nothing but kindness the whole time he knew him, would there really be any harm in letting his guard down in his presence for once?

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry guys, he still doesn't have his glasses in this chapter. I was originally going to make a second part of this chapter where he finally does receive them, but at the last minute, I decided that it would be best to split this chapter into two. So the next chapter I post, I promise that he will have his glasses.**

 **Also, you guys may find it odd and unrealistic that America has not smiled once in two years. I personally thought, though, that in some way, this would actually be realistic for his situation. It all stems from something that I learned during a health fair that was hosted at my high school. One of the set ups showed us the various steps of the development of a fetus, along with some of the behaviors that a fetus will learn on its own while in the womb. If I remember correctly, one of the facts said that the fetus starts to frown at some point to express negative emotions, but that a human does not smile until they learn how to do so by watching others smile. I could be completely wrong about this, but when I tried looking this up on the internet, I couldn't really find any reliable sources, so I think I'll take the doctor's word for it. I personally thought that this was very interesting, and held some relevance towards America's situation. Since he forgot a lot of behaviors that we learn as we grow up, along with the fact that his vision is almost useless, he probably hasn't been able to really see anyone smile, and if he did, it wasn't for the right reason. I figure that this will just be one of the behaviors he'll learn while he is recovering his memory.**


	9. Chapter 9

It was nine in the morning when Russia, England, and Canada had awoken and started with their daily routines. Usually, they didn't wake up so 'late' in the morning; even though they had the day off from their typical work schedule, meaning that they would have no paper work, or important phone calls to make at all and would not have to suffer any consequences if they did happen to sleep in. Though, they still had to deal with the needy, broken nation who was under their care. As rough as caring for him could sometimes be, they knew that things could be much worse for them with that situation. At least America was able to walk, didn't try to mess with anything he came across (yet) out of curiosity, was very quiet, or have many of the behavioral issues that would be expected of him to have with his current condition (after all, he did have a mind that could be easily compared with that of a toddler's with his memory wiped). The fact that he always had the tenancy to sleep between ten to twelve hours everyday was also a relief for the three other nations. It meant that they could have a few extra hours of peace since they didn't sleep as much. They also tended to wake up earlier than him, which allowed them to have some time to relax in the morning; when they most needed it since they were still in the process of fully waking up at that time of day.

Each of them spent an hour to prepare for the day, before finally deciding that they should make some breakfast. When asked about what time America had fallen asleep the night before, Russia had informed both Canada and England that the young nation had fallen asleep around eleven o'clock at night. Considering the fact that eleven hours was plenty of time for a full grown adult to sleep, as well as the fact that the American didn't really use up a lot of energy during the day and had shown no signs of ailment, the three who were taking care of the uncivil nation figured that it was time America woke up and had some breakfast. His sleep schedule was starting to fall out of line of what it should've been anyways. If he wanted to sleep a lot, that would be fine, but the three nations who were taking care of him didn't want him to start sleeping in too much, or become a night owl, as they themselves were naturally early birds, and they didn't want to have to stay up late and ruin their own schedules to care for him.

While Canada began to make some pancakes (he'd been wanting to eat some for a while), Russia decided to check on America to see how his ribs were doing, and wake him from his peaceful slumber. He made sure to be careful as he slowly dragged the blanket off of the young nation's form, as he didn't want to startle him (he knew that the one he was caring for wouldn't handle being startled out of his sleep very well in his current condition). In an attempt to help America awake from his sleep in a way that wouldn't be too shocking for him, Russia began to gently rub his cheek with his hand. It wasn't long, after this gesture had began to be performed, that the young nation's eyes started to flutter open. However, after a few moments of keeping his eyes partially open, he ended up furrowing his eyebrows in irritation and batted his caretaker's hand away.

Russia was equally as annoyed as the one he was caring for when the young nation had decided to refuse to cooperate and instead, tried to stop his attempt to wake him up. The fact that America had also pulled up the covers to hide his face from the sunlight shining from the window, that he now just realized was trying to invade his closed eyes, made his caretaker all the more exasperated with the stubbornness. Since he was beginning to lose patience with the sleepy nation, he decided to start pulling off the covers completely, and then gently shook America as he told him, "Come on. It's time for you to wake up, now. You've been sleeping in too much lately, and we don't want you to start staying up all night while we take care of you."

America groaned, and curled up in order to try and keep the chills that were now bothering him (due to the fact that he wasn't used to the room's temperature yet) from being too much of a problem for him. Despite not understanding most of the words that his caretaker had told him, he couldn't care less for what he was trying to communicate to him. He knew that it was probably very foolish of him to disobey a human who was larger than him, but he just couldn't bring himself to care for any potential consequences at that moment. All he wanted to do was sleep.

Russia suppressed a sigh of exasperation, and after a few moments of thought, figured that there would be no harm in letting the young nation rest for five more minutes. Perhaps he just needed some time to wake himself up after having his sleep interrupted. He himself usually needed some time to lay in bed for a bit, after waking up in the morning, in order to become more conscious as well.

Since he had decided to momentarily give up on trying to wake up the one he was caring for, he began to focus all of his attention on how America's ribs were doing at that moment. He lifted up the young nation's shirt, so that investigating the part of his abdomen that had been hurting the night before would be a much easier task for him to achieve, and he couldn't help but feel relieved when he found that the bruise that had remained from the night's incident hadn't turned out to be too terrible. Sure, maybe there would be times where the other nation would feel slight pain in that area, but it didn't look as if he was going to be bedridden, or anything. There would probably be no more need for him to hold an ice pack to the spot either. As much as being a nation could sometimes truly be a horrible life that some people would not be able to handle leading, it did come with it's benefits. The fact that healing from injuries required less time and didn't always come with as many inconveniences as it would for a human was definitely something that Russia could never stop appreciating.

Seeing that the ice pack that had been previously helping America deal with his pain was now teetering on the edge of the couch, Russia decided to pick it up so that it would not longer be a burden to the young nation, and walked to the kitchen so that he could put it back in the freezer, so that it could freeze up and become useful again. Upon doing this, he had been asked by Canada, who had just finished making the first pancake, "Is Alfred awake yet?"

"Yes," Ivan answered, and then explained, "he's still very tired, though. I think that he just needs to rest for a few minutes before he gets up."

"Alright, that's fine. Just make sure that he doesn't fall back to sleep, and try to get him to the kitchen table soon. His breakfast his almost ready, and I don't want it to get cold before he even touches it. Besides, those glasses might finally be here today, and they will most likely arrive sometime soon, too. I would like it if he could start using them as soon as we get them, instead of being asleep."

With that being said, Russia decided to return to the living room in order to check on the one he was taking care of, just to see whether or not the young nation had fallen asleep again. Fortunately, it appeared that America had eventually chosen to do what he had been expected of him not too long after his caretaker tried to wake him up, as he was now sitting up on the couch, and trying to blink sleep out of his eyes. He also had a hand on his forehead, which made it seem as if staying conscious was too much for him to handle at that moment. Russia didn't understand how someone could be so exhausted after having eleven hours of sleep. Especially if that certain someone didn't have to deal with any sickness, and had appeared to be more healthy than when he had been found half-starved and at the mercy of whatever strange drug had been injected into his blood stream at that moment while he was still a prisoner of the scientists. He figured, though, that after eating something with lots of sugar in it, the tired nation would be more awake. Sure, maybe he could even give him some coffee, but at the same time, he wasn't sure if it would be a good idea to give America that much caffeine after he'd been deprived of it for two years. He knew that some people tended to become quite anxious, or would have their blood sugar abruptly drop after consuming some coffee when their body wasn't used to having any caffeine in it.

Since it seemed as if making sure that there was something in America's stomach would be a much better way of trying to wake him up, Russia grabbed the young nation's hand so that he could urge him to stand up and follow him into the kitchen. The exhausted nation had decided to do what he was encouraged to do, and once he was in the kitchen, he sat down in one of the chairs at the table. It hadn't been long before America started to rest his head on the table, as sitting up straight in his tired state seemed to require more energy that it usually would. When a plate of pancakes had been set in front of him, though, his lack of enthusiasm had suddenly disappeared, as he lifted his head up and studied, as best as he could without glasses, the food that was now on the table. The crispy brown tops of the pancakes, along with their rather interesting contrast of being white on the bottom had made America wonder how he could've absentmindedly ignored the buttery, sweet aroma they had produced. He was definitely wide awake now, and he could feel his mouth water at the thought of digging into the treat that had been given to him.

Feeling satisfied with the fact that the young nation now appeared to be more enthusiastic, rather than looking as if he would pass out at any minute, Russia grabbed a bottle of maple syrup and poured some on America's pancakes. He then grabbed a fork and knife, and began to cut into the pancakes that were now soaked in syrup, so that he could scoop a small piece of the breakfast onto the fork. Excitement only continued to grow in the pit of the young nation's stomach as he awaited the first bite of his meal, and when the scoop of pancake finally began to near him, he was quick to open his mouth in order to welcome the food into his stomach.

America was in heaven by the time he'd eaten all of his pancakes. He was comfortably full, which caused him to have a pleasant warmth in his stomach, and he appreciated the fact that he had discovered some new flavors after eating that meal. He didn't even care when Russia started wiping syrup off of his face with a wet napkin, which was something that usually bothered him.

However, America's mood was changed when he noticed England walking into the room with an object he couldn't recognize (mostly because he couldn't see it too well, and he'd also never seen anything similar to it before). All of the other nations seemed to be delighted when they saw the object. He could tell just by hearing their excited voices that this item must have held some sort of importance to them. From what he could see from it, though, with his blurry vision, the object didn't really look that significant to him. It was small, it seemed fragile, and to him, it was a bit ugly as well. Those three characteristics combined usually meant that something held no purpose; at least, in his eyes. So what was it about this object that made it so special, according the humans that were taking care of him, from the other ones that were similar to it? Well, it hadn't been the first time he'd found humans to be strange creatures.

It wasn't long after everyone had seen the object that the three more civil nations began to gather around America. This, of course, confused the young nation. Why were they suddenly crowding him? Did they want to do something horrible to him? Whatever they were planning on doing, it was starting to make him feel very nervous. At first, he had tried to not make it look as if this strange action was bothering him, but it hadn't been long before he found himself cringing in the chair he was sitting in. Since it didn't seem as if the humans were going to back off, and instead, one seemed to be coming closer to him, he began to frantically look around for a way that he could escape. Seeing as he couldn't quite come up with an escape route, he began to brace himself for whatever the human wanted to do to him. He even started to prepare himself for a fight, if attacking the human was what he was going to need to do in order to escape this awkward and horrifying situation.

The human didn't seem to pay much mind for the fact that America was starting to look anxious, and instead, unfolded the object that was in his hands so that he could put it on the other's face. This allowed the uncivil nation to have a better look at what the item really was, and he was shocked by how familiar it looked. Didn't that one human that was about the same size as him where the same thing on his face? He couldn't really care too much for that observation at that moment, as he believed that it would be important to try and move his head away from whatever that strange object was. What in the world would these humans gain from putting that thing on his face anyways?

At first, it had been a bit of a struggle for England to put the glasses on his former colony's face. He didn't understand why America suddenly saw him as a threat, or why he was so reluctant to be anywhere near the eye wear, but he wished that the uncivil nation would eventually realize that he was making himself worked up over nothing, and let him put on the glasses. Besides, the fact that the other nation was moving his head around so much was only going to increase the chances of him ending up being poked in the eye with the glasses, and he was sure that America would not enjoy that one bit.

Since it didn't seem as if his former colony was ever going to stop struggling, England eventually decided to start holding his head still with one hand, and used the other one to try and place the glasses on his face once more. Fortunately, America had finally stopped trying to resist wearing the glasses, as having his head held seemed to have made him realize that all of the struggling was only going to make his situation more difficult, and that he needed to start being more cooperative. Besides, he'd just realized that it was him against three humans, and that if he did something stupid, he wouldn't stand a chance against them. At least, he assumed that they would hurt him if he became violent.

The glasses were finally on his face, and America was in awe with how different the world suddenly looked to him. No longer was he suspicious of the humans' intentions, as it became clear to him that they had meant no harm by presenting to him this strange object. Instead, it seemed as if they had wanted to do him a huge favor. He didn't really understand the importance of the change in his vision, but he did have a great appreciation for the gift that had been given to him. The world looked so much more beautiful to him now. He looked around the room he was in, so that he could study all of the fine details he had never had the chance to notice when he was nearly blind, and he was impressed by how different everything looked, and how much he'd missed when he wasn't able to see too well.

America had spent a good five minutes looking around the room, and even studying things that others would consider pointless, such as the grains on the wooden table. He'd eventually figured that he'd spent enough time appreciating the small details he'd never had the chance to notice before he had the glasses, and decided to give the one who had given him the gift of better sight the best look of gratitude he could manage. The human that was in front of him didn't look nearly as horrifying as he had when he was just a blurry, gigantic blob to him. Instead, he felt at ease with how welcoming the expression on its face was. He didn't know why the facial expression he was receiving caused a warmth of happiness to flow through him, but he didn't really want to question it either. It made him feel as if he was an equal to the human, rather than feeling as if he was some lowly animal that deserved to be mistreated at every moment of the day (which he actually believed that he was). It made him feel as if he was actually worth something in the world.

America kept eye contact with England for a few moments before breaking it off in order to continue studying his surroundings. However, his euphoria had suddenly vanished when he caught sight of Russia. The human was giving him the same friendly expression as the other one had, except there was something about the larger nation's existence in general that made his heart clench with melancholy. There was something that told him that it wasn't the one he was currently looking at who had been the main cause of the maelstrom of negative emotions he was currently feeling, but rather, he just happened to be involved with a lot of the unpleasant events.

Fuzzy, unfamiliar images began to invade the young nations mind as he continued to stare at his caretaker. He didn't understand what they were supposed to mean, but each one left him feeling more and more hurt. He didn't understand why he suddenly felt so emotionally drained when he looked at Russia. The human had been so sweet to him, and was always there for him when he needed something. In fact, he'd sort of began to bond with him after a while of being cared for by him, even though he was sometimes still a bit afraid of him. Yet even when he tried to remind himself that this human had been the first to ever care for his well being, the pleasant memories that he tried to being up in his mind had been overshadowed by the angsty ones.

It wasn't long until the negative emotions became too much for the young nation to handle, and since he no longer wanted to be in his caretaker's presence, he fled from the room. Tears he hadn't even noticed were streaming down his face as he did so. All three of the nations that remained in the room were confused when they saw him do this. It didn't take long for Russia to realize why that had just happened though, and he ended up feeling as if he'd just been stabbed in the heart when he realized the reason why.

It had been quiet in the room, until England decided to break the awkward silence, "I'll try to make America feel better."

While England left the room, Canada turned to Russia, and once the two of them were alone with each other, he told the other nation, despite still being somewhat confused about what was going on, "I'm sorry that this special moment had to turn out so horrible for both you and America. Are you going to be okay?"

"I'll be fine," Russia tried to assure Canada, though pain was still obvious in his voice, "I just wish that the horrible memories between Fredka and I weren't the first thing that he thought of when he first saw me with his glasses."

A large wave of sympathy spread throughout Canada's heart when he heard this. There was nothing Russia had done to deserve what had just happened. He'd worked so hard to try and earn America's trust, just to have all of his effort stomped on with the young nation becoming emotionally distressed upon having a decent look at him for the first time. Though he felt awkward when he tried to come up with ways that he could comfort his fellow nation, Canada had eventually settled on trying to be optimistic for him, "I don't think America's going to be upset with you forever. That's just not in his nature. He'll realize soon that he doesn't have to feel horrible every time he's around you, and that you just want to be his friend."

Though he was grateful for the reassurance, he was shocked that Canada had understood that one of his goals in taking care of America was, in fact, to improve his relationship with him. Sure, maybe that should've been obvious, but based on past experience, Russia thought that the two nations he was helping out were only going to continue to think the worst of his motives, and that he was going to have to work much harder than he already had just to prove that he didn't want to cause the young nation any harm. Already feeling a bit better about the situation at hand, he gave Canada a smile, despite the twinge of sadness he still felt, and said, "Thank you, Matvey."

Canada felt himself going shy from the gratitude that was being expressed to him, and replied in a quiet voice, "You're welcome."

Meanwhile, in the living room, America was sitting on the couch. His glasses had been set on the coffee table, so that they wouldn't be a burden to him, as he hugged his knees to his chest and continued to cry. The only thing that had snapped him from his thoughts of hurt and confusion for a moment was when he heard someone approach him. He turned his tearful gaze to see who had followed him out of the kitchen, and based on the size of the blurry figure, he could tell that it was the one who had given him the glasses.

There was something about the fact that this individual had followed him into the living room after he ran out of the kitchen that made him feel as if they cared about how he felt at that moment. The fact that they had also pulled him into a hug helped ease the emotional pain he was feeling. America hugged the human back as soon as he had been embraced. There was something that told him that it was okay to be vulnerable around this human, and that they wouldn't view him as weak if he let his guard down around them. The fact that he felt as if he was allowed to cry around them made him want to do so even more, and so he continued to into the other nation's shoulder for what felt like an hour, until he was too exhausted to continue to be upset.

As he continued to cling to the human who was willing to comfort him at that moment, America still couldn't help but wonder why he had suddenly felt hurt around Russia. It was easier for him to think about when he was too drained to become emotional, but he was still unable to come up with a conclusion as to why he'd reacted so negatively to the one who'd been taking care of him. Whatever the reason for it may have been, he hoped that it would be resolved some time soon, and that he wouldn't end up having another incident. His caretaker really wasn't that bad; for a human, anyways.


	10. Chapter 10

It had been after America received his glasses that the three nations who were taking care of him decided that it would be safe to finally schedule a doctors appointment for him. They knew that it would take a bit for them to find the right doctors for the job, though. Along with a perfect location and time, so that the uncivil nation could, once again, be hidden from public view in order to make things easier for him and to avoid embarrassment. They didn't believe that finding the right people to give him a physical would take too long, though. Maybe at most, they would have to wait two weeks. That wouldn't at all be too long of a wait for them, though, as the young nation had yet to show any signs of major health issues.

They ended up having to only wait a week for the doctors appointment, and over that small stretch of time, America had begun to not be so depressed by Russia's presence. Sure, there were still times where he would give his caretaker looks full of hurt, but other than that, he seemed to have realized that there was no need for him to feel so upset around the other nation, despite the faint memories that sometimes haunted his mind. However, the progression in which the uncivil nation expressed more composed behavior around Russia didn't quite amount to that of his growing friendliness towards England and Canada. The young nation didn't understand why he was suddenly so drawn to those two nations, after he'd first worn his new pair of glasses. Throughout the entire time he was cared for with his damaged memory, those two hadn't done nearly as much for him as his caretaker had.

Fortunately, during their car ride to the doctors, America had been very well behaved. Unlike the last couple of times he'd been in the car, he hadn't attempted to try and remove his seat belt, despite that fact that he really loathed wearing it. He also didn't make a huge fuss about having to wear his shoes, or the fact that he felt uncomfortable in general. This allowed Russia to feel much more relaxed during the car ride, since he wasn't spending a lot of energy trying to wrestle a rebellious American. There was no doubting the fact that the young nation was becoming much stronger than when he'd just been saved by the scientists, and it was becoming even more of a hassle for the strongest of the three nations taking care of the dependent one of the four to try and keep him under control when he acted up (which fortunately, he rarely did).

When they did arrive to the doctor's office, however, America was beginning to show signs of feeling reluctant about being in their current location. They had a feeling that he wasn't going to enjoy this too much, and perhaps the sterile smell in the building was giving him unpleasant memories. There really wasn't much that the nations who were caring for him could do about this, though. Even if he wasn't showing any signs of health issues, they still had to make sure that nothing was still affecting him after what the scientists had done, or that the damaged economy wasn't causing him too much bodily harm. They just hoped that the young nation wouldn't end up being too traumatized after the physical.

Seeing the way that the doctors were dressed up didn't help America feel any better about the situation. Instead, the familiar white out fits that they wore ended up freaking him out all the more, as the moment he laid his eyes on one, he'd attempted to flee. Unfortunately for him, he'd immediately ended up being caught by Russia and had been forced to stay put in the doctors office. He'd struggled with all of his might to try and leave the larger nation's grip, and had ignored all of the words of reassurance that were muttered to him. He didn't care what these human were trying to communicate to him. There was no way he was going to return to those disgusting people who wore white suits!

Despite the fact that the doctors knew what to expect from their patient and hadn't shown any signs of annoyance or disapproval because of this, England was still willing to say, "I'm sorry for the inconvenience. I thought that he would be a little less afraid about going through all of this."

"It's fine," was all one of the doctors had said, as they waited patiently for the young nation to calm down and start being more cooperative. As much as they were tempted to tell Russia that holding him in one place was only going to stress him out more, they knew that with how he was acting at that moment (and considering the fact that the door of the office had just been closed) that it would probably be best if he wasn't allowed to run around. He could end up damaging equipment, or hurt himself on random objects that were lying around. Not to mention, with how feral he looked at that moment, he could end up hurting someone else with this frantic behavior. Besides, it wasn't as if the person who was holding America was a complete stranger to him. Nor did it seem as if that person was causing him any physical harm with the way he was holding him. Perhaps after a while of being held and not having any harm done to him, the frightened nation would eventually realize that he didn't need to feel so scared around the doctors.

Fortunately, it didn't seem as if the struggling nation was going to keep this rebellious behavior up forever, as he'd eventually stopped trying to leave Russia's grip. Though he was still trembling in fear, as he still believed that only the worst was going to come out of his time with the doctors, the one who had been holding him finally deemed it safe to let him be free of his arms. Seeing as the young nation was regaining some of his composure, the doctor who would be performing all of the procedures for the physical stated, "Alright, so we're going to need to check his height and weight. So I need one of you to remove his shoes and get him onto the scale."

With that being said, Russia sat America down onto one of the chairs that were in the room, and began to untie his shoes. As much as this action confused him, the young nation didn't really mind the fact that they were being removed. He still wasn't used to wearing them, so they made his feet uncomfortable. When he was stood up and lead to the scale, though, he didn't really enjoy how awkward it was to walk on the floor of the doctor's office with his socked feet. The floor was cold and slippery, and he felt as if he would fall over at every step towards the scale. It made him appreciate the fact that the floors at his house weren't similar to this most of the time. At least at home, there were many soft carpets, so if he did happen to fall over (or if he just wanted to lay on the floor, which the humans who were caring for him didn't like too much, for some reason whatever reason he couldn't quite fathom), it wouldn't hurt so much.

Upon being set on the scale, America had allowed Russia to position his body, so that he was standing as straight as he possibly could. He even managed to keep the decent posture for when his height had been measured, even though he was no longer being guided in doing so when his weight and how tall he was were in the process of being measured. When the doctor was finished fiddling with the scale, so that he could have an accurate measure of the young nation's weight, he muttered while he wrote down some notes on a clipboard, "Six feet, one-hundred and twenty-seven pounds."

When the doctor walked away, so that he could type some information onto the computer, Russia made sure to lead America off of the scale. While the doctor was in the process of recording some information on the computer, he stated, "He's dangerously underweight. Has he been eating three meals every day?"

"Yes, we've been making sure that he eats at least three meals every day," England answered the doctor's question, before adding, "sometimes, we even give him snacks and little treats. We've been trying to make him gain weight, and we know that there's nothing wrong with his appetite, since he's always so eager to eat. The reason why he's so thin is because someone starved him before we started taking care of him."

England knew that it would most definitely be necessary to tell him the fact that the young nation had been starved, despite the fact that such information would probably sound strange, or strike suspicion. He had a back up story planned for if he was interrogated about how America was being cared for, though, and he'd already explained to the doctors before the appointment that the somewhat broken nation had been poorly treated by some people. Along with the fact that he couldn't speak, or function the same way as a normal human being. He didn't believe that any of this would be too much of a problem, though. After all, why would they bring him to the doctors in the first place if they were abusing him? Especially if his life was not being threatened by some injury or ailment.

Fortunately, the doctor didn't appear to be suspicious in the slightest towards the fact that America was so thin, and instead told them, "After this appointment, I'll make sure to give you guys a diet plan to help him gain some weight."

Despite the fact that they already knew of some ways that they could help America gain some weight, there was always the possibility that the doctor either had a better way of going about this, or knew of some tricks that they hadn't tried out yet. Which was why they really appreciated the fact that the doctor was willing to go through the trouble of making a diet plan. Besides, maybe he would be able to include some foods that would help the young nation out in case there were other health problems going on with him, or warn them about foods he should avoid. Perhaps he could even talk about various exercises that would benefit America. Sure, he was underweight, so he really should avoid doing anything that would burn too many calories, but they were sure that he would still need some type of work out in order to be healthy and help him gain some muscle mass back.

When the doctor was finished typing in the information onto the computer, he handed a gown to them, and told the three better functioning nations, "We'll give you guys some privacy while he changes."

Though America probably wouldn't have minded if the doctors had watched him be changed, the other three nations just felt awkward at the idea of having someone they hardly knew watch him have his clothes changed. Which was why they were happy with the fact that the doctor seemed to have realized that and gave them some privacy. Changing the young nation hadn't been too much of a hassle for them. He'd remained obedient throughout the process, despite the fact that he was still somewhat afraid of what was going on, and where he was. Though he did feel more comfortable in the gown than when he was in his regular clothes. Despite the fact that the gown was much more loose on him, as was as the fact that this allowed more chilly air to tickle his skin, the fabric was softer, and he didn't feel as restricted as he would with his regular clothes. It wasn't as if the clothes that he wore were too tight for him, he just enjoyed wearing things that didn't cling to him as much.

When they heard a knock on the door, along with the doctor's question about whether or not America was changed, they had responded by telling him that he could come in. It hadn't been long after the doctor had entered the room that he began to examine his patient. The American had handled most of the procedures quite well. Sure, he would flinch every now and then, and he was still very frightened about what might happen to him in the doctor's presence, but otherwise, he was willing to try and remain as calm as he possibly could while his heart beat, pulse, and temperature were being checked.

Unfortunately, it didn't seem as if the universe was going to allow him to remain well behaved forever, since as soon as the inflatable cuff that was used for checking one's blood pressure was strapped around his arm, he began to freak out. Since his fear was clouding his mind of any common sense, he was unable to about trying to yank off the fabric cuff on his arm the correct way, which had caused him to become even more panicked. Nobody in the room understood why America was suddenly freaking out and tying to remove the cuff on his arm. It wasn't as if it was restraining or hurting him in anyway. He, on the other hand, could not trust anything that was wrapped around his limbs. There had been many times where the scientists had wrapped a piece of cloth tightly around one of his limbs, until said limb began to feel prickly due to a lack of circulation. Then, they would cut the limb off. It was probably one of the most agonizing procedures he could ever remember being through, and despite the fact that he could just grow the body part back in a matter of weeks, there was still something about this process that would make him feel sorrow for the loss.

The doctor had, yet again, decided to wait for the young nation to calm down before continuing on with the physical. With how stressed out America was at that moment, he probably wouldn't be able to receive and accurate reading on his blood pressure anyways. He also figured that applying pressure to his arm was only going to make the situation worse.

America began to whimper when he realized that what he was doing to try and remove the cuff on his arm wasn't working. His trembling had also become very obvious, and the pace in which he was breathing was rather concerning. The doctor had attempted to move forward to try and remove the cuff from his arm, but immediately backed off when the nation swatted at him. The other three nations were shocked by this reaction, and Russia had immediately pulled the American towards him with his arms somewhat restrained so that he wouldn't be able to cause anyone anymore harm. Though the doctor didn't appear angry with having been attacked, England still pleaded, "Please forgive him for this! He's not thinking clearly right now. He's too scared and confused by what's going on. We'll try not to let it happen again."

"I knew what I was signing up for," the doctor assured, "it's not the first time I've been attacked by a patient, and I understand that he didn't do it out of malice. I'll just wait for him to relax before continuing with the procedure."

Relieved with the fact that the doctor didn't want to do anything horrible, due to the fact that he'd been attacked, everyone in the room waited for America to overcome his panic attack while Russia comforted the scared nation. It seemed to take forever for him to finally grow content with the fact that there was something wrapped around his arm, and it made the three other nations concerned about the reason as to why something so small ended up frightening him so much. To them, it was beginning to seem as if one of the torture methods used by the scientists involved binding the arms so that the circulation would stop in them.

America was clinging onto Russia when the doctor finally deemed it safe to continue with the procedure. Having something to hold onto while the doctor began to apply pressure onto his arm seemed to make him feel a bit better about what was going on, though the fact that this gave him a bit of a tingly sensation in his arm made him a bit nervous about what was going to happen. When the pressure was suddenly removed from his arm, though, relief had flooded through his gut at the fact that his arm had not been removed during this procedure.

The rest of the physical had gone much better than when America was having his blood pressure checked. Sure, he did become a bit scared when he was having his reaction checked, and had let out a quiet whimper when the doctor was about to hit his forehead with the tiny rubber hammer, but otherwise, he had remained obedient throughout the rest of the procedures and had made no other attempts to try and harm the doctor. The fact that he was now much more well behaved around the doctor was almost beginning to make the other three nations feel awkward about being there to make sure that the young nation didn't do anything wrong. It was to the point where they would look away from him on instinct whenever the check up became a bit too personal towards America's body. With the memory loss, though, the young nation had been blessed with ignorance towards how these types of things would be embarrassing to most humans, and so he felt no humiliation whatsoever during the more awkward moments of the physical. Even though there were a bunch of people in the room with him.

When the physical was finally over, the doctor had left the room in order to print off a diet plan for them while America was changed back into his normal clothes. Upon receiving the diet plan, once the doctor had returned, they had been instructed on how to find the room where the young nation would have his blood drawn and his urine sample taken. England, Russia, and Canada were definitely not looking forward to these procedures. They knew that America wasn't going to handle having his blood drawn too well. Helping him pee into a cup didn't sound too fun either. Sure, they didn't mind bathing him, or changing his clothes, but helping him use the bathroom had always been an awkward and a sometimes messy experience. None of them had yet grown used to doing that sort of thing, and they didn't believe that they ever would. They just really hoped that the young nation would be potty trained soon.

Upon arriving to the room in which America would be having some of his blood drawn, they were almost immediately handed the cup for the urine sample. At first, the three more civil nations of the four were hesitant about whether or not they should help obtain a urine sample, until Canada sighed and said, "I'll do it."

The other two were thankful for the fact that the brother of the one they were caring for was willing to do this for them. Not only was this a selfless act, but it probably would've been better for him to do this, anyways. He was the only one who was actually related to America, so it wouldn't seem suspicious at all if he went through with doing this.

After the urine sample had been gathered, Canada had given it to one of the doctors before they sat America down in the chair where he would be having his blood drawn in. At first, the young nation was indifferent about what was going on. He hadn't really felt the need to be afraid of the doctors at that point, since they didn't even do anything to harm him. It didn't even seem as if they were going to stay there much longer, to him, anyways, as he had been changed back into his normal clothes.

However, this nonchalant attitude changed when the doctor began to tie an elastic band tightly near his elbow. The fact that his circulation felt as if it was being restricted once again made him feel as if something horrible was going to happen. Though the horrors that came up in America's mind couldn't amount to the panic he felt when he saw a syringe go near his arm. Upon seeing the needle, he began to try and make his way out of the chair and towards the door. However, his plan for escape had been demolished, as Russia was quick to hold him down on the seat.

America had tried with all of his might to escape, but instead, had been forced to endure having his blood drawn. He watched in terror as his blood began to be sucked into a tiny tube, wondering what was going to happen to him after the doctor was finished stealing what was rightfully his. Would he also end up being injected with some strange substance after the evil human stole his blood? He wasn't sure if he was ever going to forgive these humans for what they had just done to him. Nor did he believe that he would ever trust them again.

By the time the doctor was finished drawing some of his blood, the young nation had been reduced to tears due to his panic. All of the fight he once had had vanished from his demeanor, as once the deed of having his blood drawn was completed, he knew that it would be pointless to keep fighting what was going on.

The rest of the time that America had been at the doctors and in the car, he'd refused to look at the nations who were taking care of him, and had been a whimpering mess the entire time they were returning home. No one had even bothered to try and comfort the young nation, as they knew that he'd been too frightened by what had happened at the doctors to want to even be around them at that moment. They just hoped that they hadn't ended up traumatizing him too much from that experience. Maybe he would be over what happened if they continued to show him nothing but kindness for a very long time? It's not as if he could afford to avoid them forever. He relied on them for food and other necessities.

It had been no surprise to the other nations that as soon as they had opened the front door of the house (the young nation had tried to flee when he was outside of the car, but he'd been prevented from doing this), America had fled from their presence as quickly as he possibly could. Though they felt horrible about the fact that he didn't want anything to do with them at the moment, especially since it had seemed as if he was beginning to trust all three of them equally, they let him have his space.

The first room that America had found, that he actually felt safe in, had been the bathroom. He was quick to shut the door behind him as soon as he'd reached this particular location, and had looked around for a safe place to hide. Somewhere the humans wouldn't ever be able to find him.

His search for that safe place was suddenly interrupted when he noticed something fishy going on in the corner of his eye. Was it movement? He turned his attention towards whatever it was to find another human staring at him. He was startled, to say the least, upon discovering this unwanted company. He'd been sure to make sure that no one had followed him when he ran away from those fowl creatures who brought him to the doctors! However, this one looked nothing like the ones who had caused him so much 'harm' that day. In fact, he'd never seen a human who looked similar to this one before. This one had blue eyes, looked really thin, and had a strand of hair that refused to stay down. He found it very strange that this human was now in the bathroom with him. What in the world was it doing in the bathroom? Why was it here in the first place when it hadn't even been in this house before? How did it end up here?

Whatever the reason was for its presence, America wasn't going to tolerate it, as he began to make himself look taller in an attempt to appear more intimidating. The human had done the same thing at the exact same time. He gave the human a snarl. The human had mimicked that as well. This ended up confusing him. Why was the human mocking all of his actions? Why was it acting like him in the first place? This wasn't normal human behavior.

America dropped the aggressive act, and so had the human. He then waved his arm around to see if the creature in front of him would do the same, and it had, in fact, ended up repeating the action. He then stared down at him self, only to find that his body looked the same as the human's.

Then, it all suddenly made sense to him. That human he was looking at _was_ him. It must have just been his reflection!

At first, this came to America as a shock, but it wasn't long until he began to feel hurt by this realization. All along, had he really been a disgusting creature that's only purpose in life was to harm things that weren't anything like him? Was that why he attacked the other humans? Was it why he seemed to hate them so much? Was it really because he'd initially thought that they were different from him, and so he believed that it was his duty to try and put them in their place because of that?

What he was most curious about was the reason why the humans had hurt him first. Was there something wrong with him? He certainly didn't act the same way as them. Nor was he capable of doing many of the things they could, such as communicate with their strange sounds. Was it the fact that he was a complete idiot compared to them the reason why they hated him so much?

America wasn't sure if he could stand to look at his reflection any longer, so he decided to move away from the strange reflective glass, and sat down in a corner of a room. A place where he could feel comfortable crying about his problems. He didn't understand why, but he couldn't help but be disgusted with himself due to this discovery. It was almost as intense as the hate he'd felt towards the scientists. Why was what he believed the humans thought of him damaging his ego so much? Was it also human nature to feel the need to belong? Was this need so strong that it could end up causing one to loathe themselves? Whatever was going on with him, he just wished he could disappear at that moment. It definitely didn't feel as if he was going to be over whatever this awful feeling was for a very long time.

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 **A/N: Yes, I realize that America isn't actually six feet tall in the cannon, and that his actual cannon height also happens to be about the same as the average height of a male in the United States. However, looking at his character in the anime and what not, it just looks like he's supposed to be a bit taller than five feet nine and a half inches. In my opinion anyways. I don't know, I guess that my perspective on how tall a man is supposed to be a bit skewed. I'm personally a little on the tall side for a woman, and I also grew up around a lot of tall men. Most of which were above six feet tall, so I don't really look at a man who is five feet nine inches and think he's tall, or even average.**

 **If you're okay with the height that I gave America in this story, that's great! I'm glad we can agree on something. If not, then go ahead and imagine him being his cannon height. Maybe just try lowering his weight a little as well, since his bmi is supposed to be around seventeen right now.**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: So, I have recently found some writing types online, that I thought were pretty helpful. Usually, I don't listen writing advice on the internet, but the advice I had found seemed to have made my writing improve. At least, in my opinion. The sentences are easier for me to read, which I know sounds weird, since I'm the author and should be able to read my own work without any problems, but I actually did have trouble in the past with reading some of my sentences, and I didn't understand why. But now, I found a solution to that problem, and I'm so happy about that! I hope you guys like the change to my writing style too, but if you don't notice it, that's fine. I'll try to find time to edit the previous chapters.**

 **Also, I've been wanting to make a cover for this story for a while, but I don't know what to put on it. Nor do I have much faith in my ability to draw. I'm not sure if it's appropriate to ask for advice on what to put on the story cover, as for one, you guys don't know yet how the rest of the story will go, and for another, this just seems very rude of me, but I really would appreciate some advice. I'll definitely give you guys credit, if you do decide to help me out. It's fine if you don't want to, though.**

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Two hours passed since the doctor's appointment, by the time Russia resolved to check on how America was doing. Everyone figured that a couple hours would be plenty of time for him to recover from being frightened at the doctor's office, so they presumed he would be almost completely over what happened when his caretaker entered the bathroom, in order to check on him. Besides, lunch was almost ready, and the three nations who were caring for him were eager to try out his new diet plan. While America was engrossed by the grief he was suffering through, due to his recent, horrible experience with having his blood drawn, England and Canada spent an hour shopping for some food in which they deemed suitable for the weight gain plan. Six weeks left the two with more confidence in the unintentionally intimidating nation's integrity, so they were willing to leave it up to Russia to watch over the young nation while he waited for the one he was caring for to emerge from his hiding place.

Upon entering America's haven, Russia's heart clenched with sympathy when he spotted the one he was responsible for lying on the tiled floor. Despite his tear stained face, there were no tears streaming from his eyes and onto his cheeks, but distress and exhaustion were still obvious on his features. His thin, frail body shivered under his baggy clothes, yet he didn't show much care towards the chills attacking every bit of warmth that remained for his consumption. Perhaps this notion sprouted from a bias, due to the bond that was developing between him and his broken ally, but Russia would never be able to fathom how anyone could not find the young nation's current condition pitiful. Everything in America's demeanor begged for his comfort.

Even if Russia did have a lot of sympathy for him, he still didn't understand how someone could remain upset for two hours straight after having their blood drawn. It was true that going through such a procedure would bring back unpleasant memories, but surely his comrade should've registered at some point, during the long while after his encounter with the doctors, a lack of negative effects from the needle used to pierce through his skin. Even with his brain wiped of any basic, scientific concepts, America was no idiot (contrary to what some believed). He wouldn't have been afraid of the needle, if he wasn't aware of any potential threats it posed. He was definitely well-informed, due to personal experience, about what they were capable of doing.

Which was why Russia found himself considering some other possibilities as to why the poor nation was still so upset. Was America afraid they were going to send him back to the scientists? The moment this conclusion entered his mind, the young nation's caretaker shoved it to the side. It was obvious, even to his confused ally, that they weren't going to return him to those disgusting excuses for human beings. After all, they did return right after the doctor's appointment, to the comfort of his home, and allowed him plenty of time to himself.

Flashbacks after the procedures performed by the doctors was something Russia could understand, though. It wouldn't have been the first time America was haunted by such memories, and it wouldn't be the last. Sometimes, his caretaker had to pull him from night terrors. The wrong movements were also capable of clouding his mind with fear. Russia could relate to this. At one point, he himself had been broken to this extent as well. To this day, there were still some things that triggered his darkest memories. Witnessing the same happening to someone else depressed him, but he tried not to dwell on this too much. After all, it would take more than sympathy to try and heal his fellow nation. Though the empathy would grant him patience towards any unpleasant outburst, or complications, doing something about this was the only thing that would make an impact.

Russia strode over to where America laid on the floor, and knelt down upon arriving right next to his figure. The increased proximity between them allowed his caretaker to examine whether or not any potential fear radiated from the other's demeanor. Though, it wasn't as if a lack of fear during the current moment would prove the concerned nation wrong about the other having experienced some flashbacks, he was curious as to why America expressed desolation. Even if it didn't take half a brain for one to figure out that he was panicked to the point of being afflicted with a potential heart attack (if he'd been a human, anyways), he still hadn't shown any signs of despondency. He wouldn't have tried to find a solution to his situation if he'd believed there was nothing he could do to control his life. Now, the other nation's expression and body language gave off a vibe, to Russia, that he loathed himself. What could've been the cause of this sudden self-hatred? His caretaker wished he could ask him, as he wasn't able to figure out anything that would trigger such insecurities. Since the root of this problem would be difficult for him to figure out, he hoped his fellow nation would overcome these negative emotions soon. He also hoped he was wrong about the other feeling insecure. It wasn't easy for one to detect such an emotion in another, even if said person could utter words. Maybe he was even basing America's body language on his own during times when he succumbed to insecurity.

Since finding the root of the problem at hand wasn't something Russia believed he'd be able to do with the other nation's lack of communication skills, he settled on comforting his ally. He lifted America off the floor and pulled him into a gentle embrace; hoping this would at least encourage the other to forgive him for making him go through with the doctor's appointment. The young nation expressed no signs of caring for the affection. Though the lack of rebellious behavior made things more convenient for the one who was comforting him, the lack of fight in his demeanor did worry his caretaker a bit.

Russia tried to push the concern from his mind. Fretting would probably only end up making things worse, as his comrade was likely to detect a lack of certainty in his demeanor. Which was something his caretaker believed would only lead to more inconvenience, as he had given America the impression that he was supposed to be strong. A slip up in this act could lead to disobedient behavior from the other.

The fact that America's face was a complete mess, along with how exhausted he appeared to be gave Russia the incentive to clean up his face and place him onto the comfort of his bed. He rearrange the other in his arms so that he could carry him bridal style to his bedroom. Upon arriving to said room, he set the one he was caring for onto his bed, and pulled out a tissue from the tissue box. He applied the Kleenex to America's face, so he could rid him of all the evidence (aside from how red parts of his face became) he'd been crying. When his fellow nation's face was cleaned, he disposed of the tissue, and strode over to the dresser to gather a set of comfortable clothing. He rid the young nation of his daytime raiment, and replaced them with the more comfortable outfit he'd selected.

He wrapped a blanket around America's form when he was finished changing him, and left him alone until lunch was finished. The young nation still didn't appear to be too thrilled with his company, even after he'd made an attempt to try and make him more comfortable. Perhaps some more alone time would help, though he didn't plan on leaving him alone forever.

About ten minutes later, Russia returned to the room with a plate of food, which contents were high in carbohydrates and proteins. The dish was also dense in nutrients the doctor considered vital for gaining weight, and keeping the young nation healthy with his dangerous lack of body fat. He figured after America's long episode of crying that the other would be ravenous. Perhaps the one he was caring for would willing to eat an entire plate of food and beg for more. Eating something might even improve the other's mood. Russia was elated at the idea of his ally's mood improving simply from eating.

America glanced at the plate of food when Russia stood right next to him, but turned his head away from it after studying it for a few seconds. He wasn't interested in eating at the moment, as he'd lost his appetite when he found out he was a human. Even if he tried, he wouldn't be able to urge himself to want to take a bite from the food being offered to him. All he wanted to do was sleep for a long, long time. Maybe if he did this, he would grow indifferent about the fact that he was a human. Sometimes, sleep was all he needed, to overcome negative emotions. Even during times when it became difficult for him to believe that things would be better.

Since it appeared as if America would need some encouragement to eat, Russia scooped some chicken onto the fork and allowed it to hover near the other's mouth. He figured that maybe the aroma drifting from the sweet sauce on the chicken would make the young nation more eager to eat. The scent coming from the food was even enough to make his caretaker envious. Usually, he wouldn't be so jealous towards the one he was caring for during feeding time. Even when he waited until America was done before having something to eat himself. This meal, however, had been something he was craving for a while, and there had never been a time he wasn't in the mood to eat this dish while he was hungry. He also didn't know another person who found said meal revolting. He believed it would be insane if they did.

However, America still hadn't shown any interest in the meal being offered to him. At first, Russia was baffled by the lack of interest, but was eventually able to figure out a few reasons as to why the other didn't want to eat. He set the plate down on the nightstand and ran a hand through the young nation's dirty blonde hair as he stated, "Alright, I won't make you eat right now if you don't want to. I guess that you did have a large breakfast this morning and you still seem pretty upset by what happened. I'll just leave this plate here in case you become hungry later."

Russia wrapped his arms around America, in order to give him a quick hug, and added, "I hope you feel better soon."

Russia left the other alone, as he walked out of the room. He knew, in any other situation, that it wouldn't be wise to leave America alone with food, as doing so would only result in a mess. However, something told his caretaker that he didn't want to have any company at the moment, and maybe, his chances of eating lunch would increase if was allowed more alone time.

~O~

Unfortunately, whenever Russia checked on whether or not America had eaten anything, he found that the other hadn't even touched his food during lunch or dinner. This was how the caretaker knew that something was majorly wrong with the other, as for one, this was not normal behavior for the young nation. Even though he was in the process of healing, the other was usually energetic, and had quite an appetite. Instead, after the doctor's appointment, he always appeared tired and had shown no interest in eating. For another, it had almost been twenty-four hours since America ate, and everyone knew he couldn't afford to go without eating any longer. Even if he was at a healthy weight, they wouldn't allow this unless he was sick and couldn't stomach anything.

While breakfast was being made, Russia told the other two nations, "Amerika hasn't eaten anything since the doctor's appointment. I even tried giving him snacks that can sit out for days without going bad, but he refused to touch them. I'm beginning to think that there might be something seriously wrong with him."

Canada's expression was full of concern as he asked, "He's not sick, is he?"

"Nyet, I don't think that he's sick. He shows no signs of nausea or physical discomfort. In fact, he looks healthy. He just seems to be a little depressed at the moment, and I don't know why. There's no way a needle could make someone _that_ upset for an entire day. There must be something else going on."

A silence made itself present in the room as the three nations pondered for a solution to this problem. How was one supposed to make someone, who couldn't speak, overcome these complicated emotions when they wouldn't be able to find the root of the problem? Especially when such negative emotions sprouted out of nowhere.

England had been the one to break the silence, as soon as an idea came to him, "I realize that this is going to sound rather harsh, but we might need to force him to eat if he's going to keep on rejecting all of the food we give him. It's the only way we can get it across to him that eating isn't an option, since he won't understand what we're saying if we try to tell him why."

Apprehensive about the harsh solution, Canada replied, "There must be another way. We don't have to be forceful about this. Can we please try to research another way of going about this before deciding whether or not we should go through with that idea? Forcing food down his throat is going to end up stressing him out. Maybe it'll make him even more emotionally damaged."

"We've tried finding another way to make him eat, but we've run out of options. We even gave him the chance to try and eat on his own, yet he still refused to eat anything. We can try to find a way to help him get over whatever emotional struggle he's going through later, but right now, he needs to eat something."

Canada tried to formulate an argument in his head, but soon came to terms with the fact that England's point was valid. America was causing harm to himself, and he'd been given many chances to snap out of this behavior and eat. Even if it would be disrespectful to his brothers autonomy, the Canadian couldn't think of any other way to going about solving the issue at hand. Besides, it wasn't as if they could treat America the same way as they would a normal, functioning adult at the moment. If they did, he would be stirring up chaos, and wouldn't have much of a chance to become civil at all. It was the equivalent to raising a child; there had to be some control over what he did and how he behaved.

With defeat evident in his voice, Canada said to Russia, "Alright, if you absolutely _have_ to force feed him, you can. Just try not to hurt him while you do so, alright? I don't want him to end up in the hospital."

Russia tried to sound as reassuring as possible with his response, "I won't hurt him, I promise."

The three nations remained silent as they waited for bleakest to be ready. It didn't take much longer for America's plate to be prepared, and by the time it was, Russia grabbed the dish and carried it with him to the young nation's room. Anticipation fluttered throughout his chest during the short trip there; he still pondered whether or not what he was probably going to have to do was right. As it was stated before, though, it didn't appear as if he had any other choice. Which was why he'd mentally told himself to accept what he would probably have to do to America, and try to come up with a way to make it up to him later.

Upon entering the room, he found America was wide awake, and staring at the ceiling. Though he didn't appear as upset as he had the day before, Russia was still concerned about his depressed demeanor. _Well, at least he'll be hungry now._ He mentally told himself, _There's no way he can't be hungry, after going so long without eating. Especially since he's not sick._

Russia set the plate of food on the night stand, and arranged America on the bed so he was in a sitting position. He scooped some eggs onto the spoon and offered it to his ally. Though the young nation was famished, there was still something within him that didn't want to eat. He didn't understand why his mind was telling him not to consume any food. Even during times was he was depressed, he would still have a strong urge to eat. It often outweighed any common sense to not consume anything the scientists gave him. However, when he recalled the horrifying discovery he'd made the other day, queasiness settled in his stomach; causing him to not want to eat.

His caretaker was patient, as he waited for the one he was caring for to take a bite from the food. At that point, he didn't even care if his fellow nation only ate half of the food on his plate. As long as he ate at all, things would be fine. However, as his gentle attempts to feed America continued to fail, it was becoming more and more obvious to Russia that doing this in a respectful manner wasn't going to work. Guilt spread throughout his nerves, causing an unwanted pressure make his body tense. Words could not explain how much he didn't want to force feed the other, but it wasn't as if he had any other choice.

Russia grabbed America's jaw, applying pressure to his joints. This caused the young nation to flinch, as he had not expected his caretaker to treat him with such harshness. He tired to move away from the hold on his face, but struggling only caused his jaw to feel more uncomfortable. A small pinch of pain made itself present as the one caring for him continued to hold his face.

Five minutes passed when America came to term with the fact that the other wasn't going to quit in his attempt to try and feed him, and the young nation gave in, as allowed the food to enter his mouth while tears developed in his eyes. Russia let go of his hold on the other, when he opened his mouth to allow the food inside it, but guilt only continued to gnaw at his heart when he glanced at the tears forming in his comrade's eyes. He didn't want to make America cry. All he wanted to do was make him eat something.

When America finished eating everything on the plate, Russia pulled him into a hug, and whispered soft words of reassurance to him. His caretaker taker hoped by comforting him, he could show that he still cared for him, despite the discomfort he'd caused him. Yet, no matter how much effort he put into trying to improve the other's mood, America continued to tremble and cry, until he was too tired to continue doing so.

Russia grabbed the glass of orange juice he'd brought with him, and held it up to America's mouth. Perhaps something sweet would help improve the young nation's mood.

Though America did enjoy the sweet taste in his mouth when he sipped the orange juice, as well as the fact that the cold liquid soothed his sore throat, which had been worsening since he awoke, he still couldn't help but be disturbed by the lack of control he was experiencing. His discovery about being a human had been terrible enough. Couldn't he at least be treated as an equal by his own kind?


	12. Chapter 12

When America awoke the next morning, he was already wishing he could have the sore throat he'd dealt with the day before back (if it meant things would be better for him), as now, he was in much worse condition. Sure, his throat still hurt anyways, but it wasn't as sore as it was dry. It was as if someone had forced him to swallow recently used sandpaper; a piece of it which still had rough areas on it, but also some loose saw dust. Every time he gulped down some saliva to try and soothe his sore throat, the uncomfortable sensation would intensify. The fact that there was a lump of mucus stuck in his throat, along with how itchy it was, only made it more difficult for him to swallow. All these problems hadn't been the the worst of his current condition, though.

Despite the fact that he was wrapped in a thick blanket, he was still shivering due to some intense chills, which he couldn't come up with a single reason as to why he was experiencing them. It was also nearly impossible for him to breath through his nose, and the air his throat was being exposed to, since it didn't have the humidity of his mouth to protect it, was making the soreness and dryness worse. He was also somewhat nauseous.

America attempted to move from his bed, but after a few moments of having the blanket off his form and trying his best to lift himself up with his achy muscles, he abandoned his objective to leave the bed, and allowed his shaky limbs to rest. He crawled under the overlay, which had been heated overnight, due to the warmth of his body, and allowed it to embrace him as he curled up in an attempt to keep warm. He couldn't help but appreciate how his body did a better job at absorbing the warmth of the blanket, after being exposed to the cold air of his bedroom for one moment, than it had before. It was as if his body simply needed a reminder of what cold truly was, in order to not take warmth for granted.

This was not the first time America had been consumed by some terrible sickness, out of the blue, in the past two years. He could recall many times when he had to deal with some horrible symptoms of a random ailment, and the scientists would do nothing to help ease the discomfort. Despite the fact that the uncivil nation was used to being left to fend for himself during these times, there was something about having his sickness be neglected that caused a pang to form in his heart. There was often a part of him that longed for another human to comfort him during these times. Especially since he didn't understand how he could handle being sick. However, he believed, during the time he was at the mercy of the scientists, it was pointless to wish for another human to be gentle towards him and not take advantage of his weakness. He considered himself lucky that the scientists would lay off from torturing him during times he became sick, or when he had been too physically damaged or mentally shocked for the cruel experiments to proceed. He didn't understand why they would stop during these times. Wouldn't it be easier for them to take advantage of him while he was down? Whatever there reasoning for doing so may be, he didn't want to appear ungrateful towards the break.

Considering the fact that he wasn't on great terms with his caretaker at the moment, America hoped the humans, who now 'controlled' his life, would show him mercy in his time of weakness as the scientists did. He understood that the ones he was trapped with weren't nearly as bad as the scientists were, but there had been things they did to him which he didn't quite enjoy. He hated being forced to sit still when they wanted him to; it reminded him of being restrained and gave him anxiety. He hated having to deal with the uncomfortable procedures they would perform on him daily. He hated their patronizing voices, their superior body language, and their controlling actions towards him. Every time he tried to show he wasn't okay with what they were doing, whether it be out of fear or anxiety, he would end up having his arms restrained by the human who was larger than him. Since the human wouldn't let go of him when he attempted to make it obvious he didn't want to be restrained, he tried to avoid another situation like that in the future, after this happened a few times. He understood the fact that he was different than the other humans, but he still wanted to be treated as an equal.

Relief washed over him, as the idea of having more control over what he was able to do around the humans entered his mind. He wasn't expecting them to try and make the sickness better, or give him the warmth and comfort he'd always wished a human would give to him during the times he was sick. As far as he was concerned, there was no other remedy for a sickness than time, so how would they be able to make him better in a short amount of time?

America kept his eyes closed while he listened to the door of the bedroom open. He couldn't care less for the fact that the human who entered the room was coming closer to him. He figured the other would sense his sickness, and leave him alone. When the human gently shook his shoulder and talked to him with a soft voice, the uncivil nation groaned, in the hopes that the human would figure out he was not in the mood to wake up and waste his energy.

Upon shaking America and receiving a groan in response, Russia couldn't help but worry when he examined his face. The others expression showed nothing but exasperation and exhaustion, but it wasn't the type that came off as stubborn. Instead, he appeared to be worn out and sickly. The fact that his skin was paler than it usually was (it'd already almost been a shade of white before he became sick, due to a lack of sunlight for two years straight), coupled with his poor breathing, only convinced his caretaker that he was sick.

America flinched when the other's hand touched his forehead. He opened his eyes in an attempt to figure out what his caretaker was trying to achieve by doing this. While he examined Russia's demeanor, he was able to detect concern coming from the other, or at least to him it appeared to be worry for his well being. America couldn't help but find this reaction towards his sickness interesting. Why would the human care _this_ much about whether or not he was sick? Sure, maybe it was something important for him to become aware of, but why would it warrant sympathy? The scientists hadn't shown him too much sympathy while he was sick, other than not performing any experiments on him for a short amount of time.

Though the uncivil nation couldn't deny the fact that the other's hand on his forehead was a comforting act. The touch was so gentle; he couldn't come up with a single way this action could lead to harm. It made him less ashamed of his vulnerability and more trusting towards what his caretaker wanted to do with him. America couldn't understand why the touch was making him feel so safe around the human, though. It wasn't as if having a hand on his forehead would make his sickness go away.

More concern radiated from Russia's demeanor when he found the other was quite warm to the touch. There was no doubting the fact that America had a fever. Things could be worse, though. At least the other wasn't hallucinating, which made his caretaker believe the fever was mild. There would be no harm in making sure this was the case, though, so he set off to retrieve a thermometer, and returned to where America lay with the much needed instrument. He stuck the thermometer in the other's mouth, once it was prepared, and struggled to keep it under his tongue. At first, the uncivil nation didn't want the strange object in his mouth. For one, he wasn't a fan of it's design, and for another, his caretaker was pushing too hard on the based on his tongue. Since his struggling was making the pressure more intense, he'd eventually stopped fidgeting around, as pain flooded the base of his tongue. He wished there was a way he could tell the human to be more gentle. Was the other even aware of the fact that he was pushing the object into his mouth too hard?

A quiet beep came from the thermometer, alerting the human and causing him to remove the object from America's mouth. Though he was relieved by the fact that the instrument was no longer under his tongue, he couldn't help but observe his caretaker's actions with curiosity, while the other studied the thermometer. Why in the world would someone shove a piece of plastic into his mouth, take it out, and examine it?

Russia, on the other hand, couldn't help but become even more concerned when he read what America's temperature was. According to the instrument he used to check the other's temperature, his fever was currently thirty eight and a half degrees Celsius. Sure, the reading could've turned out to be much worse. Russia was appreciative towards the fact that he wasn't on the verge of having a dangerously high fever. However, there was still a possibility that the fever would end up being worse as time passed by, and he figured it wouldn't be pleasant to deal with the young nation if this happened.

There was no need for him to fret, though. He understood the fact that America couldn't randomly drop dead from having a fever, cold, or any sickness at all. It would take the fall of the country he represented to kill him off permanently. However, anything that could kill a human would cause him lots of pain, and possibly result in him being crippled for at least a month. He didn't want him to suffer.

Russia set off towards the kitchen, so he could search for a wash rag to soak in cold water. He pulled open the drawer that stored unused sponges and wash cloths for cleaning, and was delighted to find a white wash rag sitting in the drawer, waiting to be used. He grabbed the needed cloth from the drawer and ran it under cold water from the kitchen sink until he deemed the wash rag completely soaked. He turned off the water when the rag became chilly and wet enough, and squeezed any extra water from it, so it wouldn't be dripping all over America's face.

After soaking a wash cloth with cold water, Russia returned to the young nation's room. Upon arriving next to his bed, he placed the cold rag on the other's forehead. At first, America didn't enjoy the uncomfortable change in temperature his forehead was experiencing. Which caused him to try and shove the unwanted piece of cloth away. His caretaker was gentle in keeping his hands away from the source of discomfort, which lessened his distress for having something cold on him when he already believed his environment was chilly enough. Fortunately, after a while of being forced to deal with this slight discomfort, America stopped trying to remove the cloth from his head, and allowed Russia to proceed in his attempt to lower his body temperature. He figured there must have been a reason why he was doing this to him, as the cold was, surprisingly, becoming more comfortable to his forehead. Besides, his caretaker had always been able to do strange things to improve his health. Even being forced fed the day before, as much as he loathed this, had diminished the agonizing emptiness in his stomach, and the comfort that came right after helped him understand the fact that the human didn't want him doing anything to hurt himself. Though he was scared by the action, there was something about it which gave him the impression that it was for his own good. That his caretaker was only doing it because he cared about him.

When the cloth became too warm to be able to help with America's fever, Russia left the room for a moment to soak the wash rag under cold water for a second time, and returned to the bedroom to place it back on his forehead. This time, the caretaker was much more confident that the one he was caring for would be willing to keep the rag on, so he set off towards the kitchen, in order to prepare breakfast. Upon arriving to the room, he was surprised by England and Canada's presence, as it was a bit early in the morning. Though their company did elate his mood, as it would make things more convenient for him, so he spoke up in order to grab their attention, "I just checked on Amerika, and he's sick. He also has a bit of a fever."

There was sympathy is England's tone, as he stated, "I'll make some tea for him, then. I'm sure it will help him feel a little better."

"Are you sure he's going to drink tea?" Canada inquired, "He doesn't understand that it will help him feel better, and it does tend to have a bit of a bitter taste to it. It's not something that someone who hasn't really drank it, or doesn't understand it's benefits would want to bother drinking."

"I'm sure that as long as I put some honey in it, he'll drink it."

After that was said, the three nations remained silent as breakfast was prepared. Russia had made oatmeal for America, as he figured it would be the best thing for him to eat in the morning while he had a fever. He grabbed the cup of tea England made by the time breakfast was done being prepared, and strode off to the young nation's room. Upon arriving to the room, he was happy to find America had kept the cold wash cloth on his forehead.

Russia removed the rag from the other's forehead, so he could sit him up and feed him. Despite the fact that America wasn't hungry, he was still willing to eat the food offered to him until he was gagging from eating too much. He didn't want to do this to himself, but he was afraid of what would happen if he didn't obey the human. Fortunately, his caretaker was sympathetic about the fact that he was only able to eat a quarter of the food offered to him, as he didn't force him to eat anymore of the oatmeal. Instead, he helped him wash down the food, by having him sip the tea England had made for him.

At first, America assumed the strange, warm liquid being offered to him was going to be disgusting. After all, it was a greenish-brown color, and most things that color didn't taste too great. Especially if they were a liquid. Besides, it had a bitter scent coming from it, though it wasn't too strong.

He changed his mind about the mysterious substance being offered to him when he had his first sip of it. The warmth soothed his throat; making it less sore and dry. There was also a sweet taste to it, which calmed America's nerves. The liquid gave him a warmth in his stomach, and also help diminish his discomfort from over eating. Though even if this substance was improving his physical well being, he still didn't want to drink it all, as the leafy taste that was developing from drinking it for a while was a bit overwhelming. When the mug was a quarter of the way empty, he pushed it away.

While America was being pushed back into a laying position on his bed, he couldn't help but worry about whether or not the sustenance he'd consumed was going to come back to haunt him later. After all, he had been queasy ever since he woke up, and he wasn't sure if the tea would be able to help him keep the food down, or instead, make things worse for him later on. He understood, based on personal experience, that vomiting would only make his sore throat worse and cause him to be more lethargic. He hoped his body would behave itself for his own sake.


	13. Chapter 13

It hadn't been long, since breakfast, for America to fall asleep because of his sickness and exhaustion. Russia wanted to give him some cold medicine, once he was finished eating his own breakfast (he would've done it sooner, but his stomach was growing more and more impatient for food as time passed on, and the hunger caused him to forget), but he was delighted to find the young nation was sleeping. Since he would need a lot of rest, in order to recover from his sickness at a faster pace, his caretaker chose not to disturb him, and figured he could give him medicine later.

Russia never even considered checking on the young nation more often than every half hour. Other than the fever and lack of appetite, he didn't detect any symptoms he deemed too concerning. He hadn't even been aware of the fact that America was nauseous. This, he came to regret, as when he walked by the other's bedroom, he couldn't help but grow anxious at the sound of gagging. He peaked into the room to determine whether or not America was okay, but grew even more worried at the sight of him. The one he was caring for appeared to be struggling to turn over from laying on his back. His face was strained; as if he was trying to keep the contents of his stomach from entering his throat. It wasn't long before there was some gurgling.

In a bout of panic, Russia dashed over towards America, and grabbed the other, so he would be able put him in a sitting position. He didn't care if he was being too rough. He'd rather have his comrade be bruised than drown in his own vomit. Fortunately, he'd managed to save the other from this fate in decent time, as right when he was placed in a sitting position, the contents of his stomach poured from his mouth. Russia didn't do anything to try and avoid the incoming vomit, as for one, he didn't believe his fellow nation was strong enough to remain sitting, and for another, he didn't have any time to react when the vile substance splattered onto his arm. Now wasn't the time for him to be grossed out anyway. He needed to focus on allowing his ally's body to reject whatever substance was bugging his stomach in a way that wouldn't cause him too much harm.

By the time America was finished vomiting, the vile substance was all over his blanket, shirt, and his caretaker's sleeve. He showed no signs of guilt for having made a mess, though. Despite the fact that he was groaning, due to stomach cramps, there was also relief apparent on his face. He was happy his caretaker was willing to put him in a sitting position while he puked. There'd been times while he was under the scientist's 'care' where he grew nauseous, and was unable to turn over from laying on his back. No one would bother to try and flip him over, so he would end up with vomit in his lungs. Which would always lead to agony. This was how he found out it was important he didn't lay on his back if he needed to let the contents of his stomach out, and he was appreciative towards Russia's willingness to save him from such pain.

Russia scooped America into his arms, once the other was finished regurgitating his breakfast, so he could carry him into the bathroom to clean him up and change him. He didn't care if this caused their clothing to become more messy, as their garments were already filthy.

Upon arriving to the bathroom, Russia searched for the best place to set the young nation down, so his arms could be free while he cleaned himself and America up. One glance at the toilet made him figure it would be the best thing to let the one he was caring for sit on; while the lid was down, of course. After, having the other sit on the toilet, he removed his jacket, in order to prevent himself from being burdened by the warm, clunky liquid on it. Since he didn't want to waste time going all the way to the laundry room, as he figured it would be best not to leave America shivering on cold porcelain for too long, he placed it in the tub. He was aware of how disgusting this may appear to be, but he promised himself he would clean the tub, as soon as he was finished taking care of his sick comrade. He wasn't worried about anyone choosing to shower in that particular bathroom, though, as it was the ill nation's personal bathroom, and it was attached to his bedroom.

Russia was quick to gather some new clothes for America. He didn't waste a single second while changing him and ridding his face of vomit. The caretaker was sure the other was relieved when he pulled him towards his body, after having to sit on the cold porcelain for a short while. America's shivering was violent. The room must have been frigid to him. Though Russia was sure his body was providing him with lots of warmth. He could tell by how the other was snuggling against him the moment any conduction developed between the two.

America was aware of the fact that horrible, unfamiliar memories attacked his mind when he first observed the human in front of him with his glasses on. These memories always gave him a sense of emptiness within his chest in the other's company. Though before the doctor's appointment, it became more bearable to deal with as time passed on. He was also aware of how his caretaker forced him to go through some uncomfortable procedures, which he believed would only do him more harm than good. However, he couldn't help but become more forgiving towards those unfortunate experience. Russia had done him a huge favor not too long ago, and he was grateful for the agony he saved him from. He was also grateful for the gentle behavior his caretaker was expressing towards him.

Russia lifted America into a carrying position once more, and headed out into the living room to make the other comfortable on the couch. The blankets and sheets on his bed would have to be changed now, so the young nation wouldn't be able to sleep in his bed at the moment. Besides, on the couch, it would be easier for him to keep America in a decent laying position than it would on the bed. In case he happened to throw up again, Russia was sure he would remain on his side, and so he wouldn't risk causing himself any harm.

As soon as America was placed on the couch, Russia was quick to retrieve a blanket and thermometer. He made sure to wrap the blanket around the other's form tightly, before placing the thermometer in his mouth to check his temperature; only to frown when he found it was now at thirty-nine degrees Celsius. Sure, this wasn't the worst his temperature could be at, but he still didn't enjoy the fact that it was rising. There were still some things Russia could do for his ally to make him more comfortable and improve his condition though. He still hadn't given America his medicine yet, and the other also appeared to be in need of some water.

Russia set off to gather these needed items, and elevated America's head, so it would be easier for him to have him consume the medicine and water. He was happy to find the ill nation not rebelling against having the bitter flavor of medicine in his mouth, as he would've expected him to. Though, he figured this could be due to his exhaustion and stomach cramps. He must not have had enough energy to resist.

By the time America was finished consuming these much need fluids, Russia made sure to place a bucket next to the uncivil nation's couch, before he happened to forget. The caretaker allowed himself to relax, though, when he figured he wouldn't need to do anything else for his comrade at the moment. He settled for stroking America's hair, in an attempt to comfort him as he slowly drifted off to sleep. It was refreshing to see the young nation enjoy his affection, instead of resenting it.

While Russia watched America fall asleep, he spoke to him in a quiet voice, though he was aware of the fact that the other wouldn't understand him, "I hope you feel better soon. It's too bad that you have to deal with this sickness. Especially after your horrible experience at the doctor's. I guess none of this should surprise me, though. You're immune system is a lot weaker than it used to be, so it's really a wonder that it took you this long to get sick."

The soft words were helping America drift off to sleep, and he was curious towards what his caretaker was saying. Though, it wasn't too important for him to know at the moment. Instead, it was the tone that mattered more to him, anyways, and so he continued to listen as the other spoke, "You're very strong, though. So I'm sure that you're immune system will improve in a short amount of time."

With that said, Russia gave America's head a few light pats, before leaving the young nation alone to rest.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: This story now has a cover, thanks to VivaciousReader. I hope you guys love it. I personally think the cover is lovely. I think you guys can understand the symbolism in it. I'm very grateful that someone was willing to make a cover for me, and I know that there were other people who wanted to volunteer. And I'm grateful for that! I'm not sure if I ever would've been able to make a cover myself. At least, not a decent one. So this definitely saved me from wasting my time. Also, you can find this cover on Deviantart; under the same username as the person who made it on here.**

 **And in case you guys were wondering why the guy on the cover has brown hair, it just happened to turn darker through all the editing. He was originally blonde. Oh well. It's no big deal.**

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Fortunately, America's fever never rose pass thirty-nine degree Celsius, and since the first day of his sickness, the rest of his symptoms had improved. Sure, he had difficulty walking during the first few days of his ailment, but there was a vast improvement with his appetite on the third day. Which was what helped him restore his energy. Russia also couldn't help but appreciate how the other was much more friendly towards him, after he prevented him from drowning in his own vomit. It made caring for the young nation a much easier task. It was also refreshing to receive gratitude every time America caught sight of him, instead of having the other try his best not to make eye contact with him.

A week had passed since America first became sick, and now, his ailment showed no signs of remaining. Instead, he was restless, and no amount of attention he received from the other three nations was enough to keep him satisfied throughout the day. Which was why Russia was relieved when it finally dark out. By the time nine o'clock rolled around, the young nation would usually relax for a couple hours before falling asleep. His caretaker was happy to find there were no exceptions that day, despite the high amount of energy being expressed by his comrade. Instead, he settled for snuggling next to Russia on the couch, while the other searched for a movie the two of them could enjoy.

The caretaker tried his best to find something that wouldn't be too triggering for America. This was a difficult task for him, as a majority of the movies he loved involved at least a bit of blood. It wasn't as if he was a fan of gore, or anything. He didn't mind a little blood once in a while, he sometimes found it tasteless. Though there were many well-made movies out there with themes he was sure his comrade wouldn't be able to handle in them. As exasperating as it was to try to find something the other could enjoy, without it being too stupid, Russia understood his ally wasn't a wimp for possibly not wanting to witness such content. Who could blame him, after everything he'd been through not too long ago?

By the time Russia found a movie he was sure both he and America would enjoy, he grabbed the bag of chips he'd brought with him. He was aware of how unhealthy and gross this may be to some, but he wasn't the type of person who could sit through a whole movie without eating something. Food was too delicious for him to reject, if he had time on his hands to enjoy a few snacks throughout the day. He hated going without something to eat for at least a few hours (unless he was sleeping). Being hungry, or having low blood sugar brought him memories of the times he was suffering through a famine. Sure, he was worried about whether or not he could be considered overweight, as he was a bit pudgy, and compared to other nations, he did run out of breath faster (though in a battle, his strength could easily make up for a lack of energy), but his love for food outweighed his insecurity for his weight. Besides, he was sure America wouldn't mind there being a bag of chips near by; as long as he was allowed to have some.

Sure enough, as soon as the bag of chips was open, America was reaching his hand in to grab a hand full of them. The two nations happily munched on the snack while the movie played, and it wasn't long before half the bag was empty. This was when Russia figured it would be best to place the chips out of their reach, so they wouldn't end up eating the entire thing. After all, Canada and England wouldn't be too happy if the snacks disappeared before they even had the chance to touch them. America tried to move from the couch, in order to grab the chips, but his caretaker pulled him back and stated, "No, you've had enough junk food today. You're going to get a stomachache if I let you eat anymore chips."

America understood, after being pulled into a firm hold, the human wasn't going to allow him to eat anymore chips. As much as his mind begged him to steal more of the salty treat, he figured it would be a better idea to ignore the temptation, and instead, snuggle with his caretaker. Maybe if he acted obedient and sweet, he would receive another treat later. It'd happened before. The human loved it when he behaved, and would sometimes give him praise and a small treat.

As time passed on, America grew more and more cold from not moving, and it wasn't long until he was shivering. Sometimes, even when he was wrapped in a blanket, he would find it quite chilly in the house. This didn't surprise the other three nations, though. It was difficult for one to stay warm when they didn't have any fat to help them store heat in their body. Since the young nation wanted more warmth, he drew himself closer to Russia, and latched onto his soft, warm scarf. The shivering and sudden movements alerted the caretaker, so he pulled America onto his lap, in the hopes that this would help him warm up. He also drew the blanket the other was wearing tighter around their forms.

Russia was shocked to find how bony America's thighs were. Sure, he'd been able to observe how thin they were during times he changed his clothes and bathed him, but he wasn't expecting them to be bruising his own thighs. Even if he was a male, the young nation was supposed to be squishy anywhere on and around his hips. Instead, he was the opposite of that, and it was a painful observation for his caretaker to make.

There was now a pang in Russia's heart. He didn't understand why this hadn't made him upset before. He heard the doctor announce his height and weight and was able to figure out what his body mass index was. Even glimpsing at America could make anyone figure out he was underweight. It wasn't as if this was the first time he'd touched the young nation either. Though he'd expected the other areas on his body to be bony. Russia always had sympathy for the other because of how thin he was and how much he had to suffer through. For whatever reason, having him sit on his lap was too much for him to handle, though. It reminded him of the times he witnessed his own people starve, and he wasn't able to do anything about it, because he didn't even have enough food for himself. He hated the helplessness; wondering what he'd done to deserve such suffering. It was a normal part of being a nation, but that didn't stop it from hurting.

A tear escaped from Russia's eye as he tried to fathom how many weeks had passed, while America was being starved by the scientists, before hunger no longer bothered him. How long did it take for the scientists to figure out how to erase his memory? Had he continued to fight them off until this happened, or were they able to break him while his memory was still there? Did America have any idea what was going to happen to him? He did appear to be a bit uneasy during the last meeting he attended. Almost as if he was confused about what he should believe would happen to him in the future. Some of his citizens were happy about what his ex-boss was doing, while the rest either didn't have an opinion, or were horrified of what might happen to their nation. Considering the fact that his ex-boss betrayed him, Russia could tell the young nation was going to have a hard time trusting any of his future bosses. This caused his caretaker to become even more upset with everything the other had been through.

Russia hadn't expected a hand to gently brush his cheek and wipe the tear away. He focused his attention towards the nation sitting on his lap, to find the other's face was full of concern and confusion. It was almost as if America was talking to him through his eyes; saying, 'Don't cry. You should be happy right now! We're both living in comfort.'

Russia smiled at the sympathy being expressed towards him and pulled the other into a tight hug. It was probably the sweetest someone had done for him in a long time. Not to mention, it was something more selfless and civil than what most humans would do if they caught someone crying. It also helped him snap out of his pity fest. There was no need for him to be upset about what had happened almost two months ago. It was the past. He learned from it, and he would make sure it never happened again. Sure, there were still many things he would have to worry about, when it came to how America recovered from his horrible experience, but at the moment, he was happy. His happiness was the one of the most important things, and it was his job to maintain it. Making himself upset wasn't going to keep the young nation happy; it was only going to confuse him, and possibly cause him to be hurt. As Russia had told himself many times before, he needed to stay strong while caring for the other.

America relaxed when he figured his caretaker was no longer upset, and rested his head on the others chest, in order to absorb his warmth. As the movie continued to play in the background, the young nation fiddled with Russia's scarf; finding it surprisingly entertaining to play around with the piece of cloth. He was no longer shivering, due to the 'cold' air, and sighed with content when the human ran his fingers through his hair. If he understood the concept of heaven, he would've believed he was there.

It wasn't long until Russia found the young nation fast asleep in his arms. He gave the one he was caring for a smile of adoration, before returning his attention to the movie. Even if this had caused him to be upset at first, he was now happy to have America on his lap. His comrade was enjoying the warmth his body provided to him quite a bit and the closeness was helping a bond form between them. He was aware of the fact that England and Canada might find what was going on to be a bit strange, but he couldn't bring himself to care. He had an explanation prepared, in case anyone questioned this display of affection.

Sure enough, Canada entered the room half way through the movie, and was shocked by the sight before him. Russia smiled at this reaction, giving him the same childish smile which caused most not to have any desire to oppose him, and asked, "Hello, Matvey. How are you doing?"

"I'm doing great," Canada replied, yet he still wasn't afraid to express his confusion, "How come my brother's sitting on you're lap?"

"He was starting to get cold, so I wanted to try and warm him up. He doesn't seem to mind this at all, though. So is there anything wrong with this?"

"No, there isn't anything wrong with it. I just wasn't expecting to see that."

 _That went over better than I expected,_ Russia mentally told himself. He would've expected Canada to not be so open-minded towards him cuddling with America in this way. He held America closer as he continued, _It looks like I'm starting to gain their trust._


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Hello guys! I'm back with a new chapter. I know it's been almost two months since I last updated this, and I'd like to thank everyone who remained patient with me and cared to read this far into the story (or if you even bothered to give this story a chance at all to begin with). I just wanted a break from writing and I didn't want to stress myself out, since school started a month ago. I'm taking a lot of difficult classes this year, and I had no idea whether or not I was going to be able to handle it. I honestly thought I was going to have four hours of homework every night, or something, but so far, it hasn't been too bad. I hope it doesn't end up overwhelming me.**

 **Speaking of things that are overwhelming, for those of you reading my story "Overwhelmed", I do have five pages written for the fourth chapter so far. I might update that story soon, since it's a story I like to write during school, but I'm not making any promises.**

 **I hope you guys like this chapter. It may seem like filler, but the next one will be more exciting. I promise.**

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America awoke the next morning to find it was difficult for him to move his limbs. Though this didn't bother him too much, as he was aware it wouldn't take all his energy to remove the thick blankets wrapped around his body. The warmth the blankets provided to him also kept him in a relaxed state, despite the fact that he wished he was still cuddling with his caretaker. He understood his caretaker wouldn't have wanted to spend hours with him on his lap, though, as he himself cringed at the idea of being stuck with someone else on his lap for a long period of time.

America tried to urge himself back to sleep. He laid there with his eyes closed until blue light from the early morning sky filtered into the room through the window. His attempt for more sleep was to no avail, much to his misfortune, as for one, he had too much energy to want to lay still on the couch any longer, and for another, his stomach was begging him to eat something.

Since he could no longer stand laying on the couch, in a futile attempt to fall asleep, America figured it would be best for him to move off the couch and check around the house to determine whether or not anyone else was awake. Maybe they would be willing to make him breakfast as soon as they became aware he was awake. If no one else was awake, he wasn't going to bother waking the others for some food, though, despite how hungry he was. He didn't enjoy being scolded by them the one time he made the mistake of waking one of them up when it was still dark out. Scoldings were a rare occurrence, but they always left him with an uncomfortable clenching sensation in his throat, which would always occur when he was putting all his mental energy into preventing himself from crying. He hated how unfair it was for them to get away with disturbing his sleep, while it wasn't okay for him to do the same to them. Though he understood he had no right to complain. They could be treating him much worse if they wanted to. At least they gave him lots of food and a comfortable place to sleep.

Upon removing the blankets from his form, America regretted his decision of escaping from their warmth, as contact with the frigid air in the living room caused him to shiver. He corrected his mistake by grabbing the smaller of the two blankets and wrapping it around himself. This way, he would be able to leave the comfort of the couch and still be warm, while he checked to find out whether or not the other humans were awake. He listened for any noises a human would produce and searched all over the house for a moving figure. He was disappointed to find they were all still asleep.

Figuring it was going to be a while until he would be able to eat, America wandered into the kitchen and focused his gaze out the window. He'd never paid the outside world much mind, as he'd either always been fascinated by everything in the house, since it was all so new to him, or he was busy trying to figure other humans out and accustom to their way of life. After what had happened the last time he set out to explore the house, while the other three humans were asleep, he'd made a mess in the kitchen, and the people who were caring for him weren't too pleased. Needless to say, he didn't want to be yelled at again and have everyone be angry with him for an hour.

America couldn't help but be amazed by the sight before him. Stars still littered the sky, despite the faint sunlight coming from the horizon during the early dawn. Instead of being black in color, as a starry sky would normally be in a city, due to all the light pollution making it impossible to view fainter bands of stars, the sky was dark blue, though near the rising sun, it was leaning more towards light blue. Yellow light from the sun gave the sky surrounding it a greenish tint. America couldn't remember another time he'd ever witnessed such a beautiful gradient of colors. If the outdoors were always this engaging, he wanted to spend a lot more time outside.

America flinched at the sound of footsteps approaching him. He whipped his head toward the person who interrupted his special moment; irritated. Since discovering the beauty that was the morning sky, he wanted some quiet time to himself. To admire the sight before him without anyone dragging him away from it, or becoming judgmental towards his recent fascination. He wasn't sure if Russia, the person who'd entered the room, would appreciate his discovery. There were many things that amazed him, which didn't appear to faze his caretaker at all. How anyone could be so _indifferent_ towards these magnificent discoveries he made, he had no idea, but the young nation found the lack of enthusiasm from the other humans to be annoying. What in the world was _wrong_ with them!?

Russia strode over to the window so he could stand next to America. He glanced out the window to find out what fascinated the one he was caring for so much, and he couldn't blame the other for wanting to stare at the morning sky. There were hardly any clouds and the stars were still vivid in the small amount of sunlight there was. He turned to face the young nation and asked, "It's very pretty, isn't it?"

America gave him a blank stare; not understanding a single word he spoke. Russia smiled at him and continued, "It seems like you want to go outside right now. If that's the case, I don't blame you. I can already tell it's going to be nice out today and you've been spending a lot of time indoors. But it's too early."

America continued to stare at him, but was interested in everything he had to say. Even if he couldn't understand what was being said for the life of him. He loved the sound of Russia's voice. Especially since at that moment, his tone was quiet and friendly, and he was more enthusiastic than he expected him to be. It made him less insecure about his fascination for the sky, as he sometimes was with anything that interested him.

"Are you hungry?" Russia asked, "Why don't I make you something to eat? I'm sure by the time you finish eating breakfast, it will be light enough to go outside, and we won't have to worry about disturbing the neighbors. Not that I believe it's likely you'll make a lot of noise, but just in case."

America grew excited at the words 'hungry' and 'eat'. Observing the sky had caused him to forget about his hunger. Even though he was dealing with typical morning hunger pangs. He hated how hungry he always was in the morning. Sure, it was better than when he was with the scientists, where he'd been starved for so long, his body had given up on making him suffer with hunger pangs; almost as if it was aware of the fact that the scientists didn't care for whether or not he was hungry. Though he didn't understand why his stomach had to punish him with discomfort for sleeping ten hours and, understandably, not eating anything while he was asleep, but he figured it was wise not to ignore his body's requests either. It was difficult for one to become detached from their physical being, so unless he was able to numb the pain with his mind, he was going to have to abide by his body's commands.

America strode over to the table and sat in a chair; eagerly awaiting his caretaker's offering of food. Russia grabbed a plum from the fridge, washed it off, and handed it to the young nation. It would be a while until he'd have breakfast ready, so he hoped a piece of fruit would hold the one he was caring for over. He made sure to push the blanket America had dragged into the kitchen away from the plum, so it wouldn't become sticky from the juice. It was okay for the other to try and keep warm with a blanket while he ate. It was difficult for him to regulate his body heat, and his body was still used to being wrapped with thick overlays throughout the night, but Russia wanted to make sure the blankets didn't become sticky from the fruit's juice.

Within a couple minutes, the plum had been devoured. Though it annoyed Russia to halt his cooking and take care of the sticky mess America had produced, he still remained patient with the young nation. There were worse deeds he could be committing, and at least the other wasn't making a mess on purpose.

Though the plum had soothed his hunger pangs, America was still eager to consume the plate full of food his caretaker was preparing for him, and by the time his meal was ready, saliva threatened to trickle from his mouth, due to how appealing the food was to him. However, since most of the food would require a fork, he waited for the human caring for him to scoop some food onto a fork and offer it to him.

After feeding America, Russia prepared a plate of food for himself, and ate it as quickly as possible, as the one he was caring for appeared eager to go outside. The young nation was, once more, observing the sky. This time, he was impressed by how the colors changed from various shades of blue and a bit of yellow and green, to orange, peach, yellow, red, and light blue. It was possibly one of the most beautiful sights he'd ever had the privilege to witness. The way the early sun's colors illuminated the clouds added to the sky's beauty. Even with the absence of the stars, he pondered if it was possible for anyone to be unimpressed by this sight.

Russia couldn't help but smile at the enthusiasm. He was happy for the young nation. It was only seven weeks since America had been rescued from the scientists, and he'd already recovered enough to appreciate the beauty in life. He didn't appear to be embarrassed about his elated mood either.

Russia cleaned both their plates before changing America's clothes, zipping him up in a jacket, and putting on his shoes so they could head outside. The caretaker wasn't worried about taking care of what sausage and hash brown, which remained from breakfast, as he'd informed the other two nations caring for America of the food before they drove off to run a few errands. It wouldn't take them long to return home. As for Canada's polar bear, he made sure the food was too high for the bear to reach it. Kumajiro may have been intelligent, compared to other members of his species, since he was able to talk, but intelligence and loyalty to his owner didn't stop him from craving any food within his reach. It was in his nature to want to eat as much as possible, as it was for many other animals.

The moment Russia opened the back door of the house, America bolted outside; eager to explore the backyard. The caretaker wasn't worried about the young nation running away, though, as there was fencing surrounding the backyard. Escape would be impossible for him, as he would have to climb over a fence in order to run away from the humans. Doing this would give Russia enough time to catch him. Not that America wanted to escape. The humans were kind to him, most of the time, and he would have no where to go and nothing to eat if he ran away. It was becoming evident to him how dependent on humans he was. He had no idea where all the food they fed him came from, and with a world full of strangers he didn't trust, he didn't have any faith in surviving on his own.

America grew interested when he caught site of a flower garden. The flowers came in all sorts of different colors and he was wanted to study each and everyone of them. However, before he was able to put his finger anywhere near them, in order to study their texture, he was scolded by his caretaker, "Get away from the flowers!"

America backed away from the garden; shocked by the disapproval he was given for his curiosity. He didn't understand what was so harmful about him wanting to touch the flowers. Were they dangerous? They didn't appear to be able to cause any harm. They were small, fragile in appearance, and there was nothing sharp on them. There was no way they could be dangerous! Did this mean his caretaker believed he was a danger to the flowers? It wasn't as if it was his intention to cause the flowers harm. He wanted to stroke their tiny petals and poke at their centers (if they had one that was visible). He couldn't help but be hurt by the assumption that he would ever try to hurt something so small and fragile, but alas, his caretaker didn't appear fond of his proximity towards the flowers, so he backed off.

The young nation wandered around other areas of the backyard to distract him from the scolding he'd recently received. It didn't take long for him to find something else to do, rather than observe the flowers growing in the garden. Half an hour passed with him exploring the backyard, before he settled for sitting next to Russia on a garden bench. He hadn't had any exercise in a long time, which was why wandering around the vast yard for half an hour wore him out. Even if he was only running for half that time.

Russia didn't blame America for wanting to rest. He'd be tired too, if he'd explored this large yard. Especially after not exercising for two years. Some would probably consider the short duration in which the young nation explored the backyard a pathetic reason to become exhausted, but his caretaker wasn't going to judge him for it. He shouldn't be overexerting himself too much, anyway. Not with how thin he was.

America closed his eyes and rested his head against Russia's shoulder. He was enjoying the sun's warmth seeping into his skin, hair, and clothing. He hadn't any clue it could be so pleasant outside. Every other time he'd been outside, though it was for short periods, it'd been cloudy and chilly. In this weather, he was tempted to take a nap in the soft grass.

Russia pulled America closer to him, so he could be even more warm. Though the warm weather was a bit uncomfortable for him, he still preferred it over the frigid, snowy climate he was used to dealing with for half the year. Besides, the young nation was enjoying this weather quite a bit, and he was happy about that. He wanted the other to be as comfortable as possible.

America smiled at being pulled closer to his caretaker and nuzzled his head into his chest. His mind went blank with relaxation while his hair was stroked. If he understood the concept of heaven, he would've believed he was there. He'd been shocked by the kindness the humans had shown him for a while, but he was still awed by how caring Russia was being towards him. What did he ever do to deserve to have an understanding, gentle human in his life?


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: The reason why this took so long to update was because this chapter was originally going to be a lot longer than it is now, but I eventually decided to split it in two. Though this will probably weaken the irony that you'll be seeing in this chapter, I just thought that a chapter more than six thousand words long would be inconsistent and boring for this story. Also, if you have problems with the beginning of this chapter, please see the author's note at the bottom of this page.**

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Heavy rain splattered all over the battle field; turning dirt into slippery mud. Despite the fact that he didn't have his glasses upon his face, America's vision was perfect. It was as if he didn't need them in the current moment. His clothing were also different from what he was used to wearing, but for whatever reason, he was not concerned about that.

An army of soldiers and a general stood behind America. The air was thick with anticipation. The young nation tightened the grip on his gun. He was ready to fight the one person trying to prevent him from becoming a nation!

"Hey, Britain!" America yelled, "All I want is my freedom! I'm no longer a child! Nor your little brother! From now on, consider me... independent!"

"No!" England charged at America, thrusting his bayonet forward. The young nation tried to block the attack, and though he'd managed to protect himself from the strike, he'd been disarmed. A blade was now pointed at the former colony's face. There was nothing he could do, but stand there and stare as England yelled, "I won't allow it! You idiot! Why can't you follow anything through to the end!?"

The soldiers behind America prepared to fire their guns; in case they would have to shoot the enraged Brit. There was a long moment of silence. To the two nations facing each other, that moment might as well have been a year or two. Tensions were high, and if it wasn't for the rain drops falling from the sky at a constant rate, they would've believed time was standing still.

Despite the fact that England was the one still holding a gun, he'd lost his nerve. He dropped his gun and fell to his knees. Tears flowed from his eyes, as he complained, "Why? Dammit, why? It's not fair!"

America gazed at the crying nation before him, and replied, "You know why."

For a brief moment, America's mind wandered, and he was was in a sunny field. For whatever reason, the grass around him was taller than the height he was used to viewing the plant at. He turned his gaze, and found England standing next to him. When did the Brit become so tall? Perhaps a better question to ask was, when did he become so short? Yet America, despite how much he believed he would've during any other moment, didn't care at all for the sudden height difference. He was full of euphoria. Excited to hang around the one he'd had a conflict with no too long ago. He was more than happy to place his hand into the England's and walk with him.

His mind was snapped back from the memory and he, once more, found himself in the battlefield with England crying on the ground, instead of smiling at him, "What happened... I remember when you were great."

America awoke in a dark room. All understanding of the dream he was experiencing a moment ago vanished. Sure, the scenery from the dream was still vivid in his mind, but he couldn't recall the meaning of a single word spoken. It confused him. Why was he able to speak in his dream, as the other humans could, and understand everything he was saying in the moment, but not have any recalculation of what he'd said as soon as he'd awoken? Not only did it not make any sense, but it was beyond irritating. Though at the same time, what if everything in the dream he'd said was gibberish? After all, it was only a dream, and since when were they ever real? Since when was he smart enough to speak, as every other human he met could...

Since America didn't want to remain alone in a dark room with all his negative emotions, as doing so never made anything better for him, he figured it would be best for him to seek his caretaker out. No, he didn't plan of waking Russia from his much needed sleep, as last time he did that to someone, it didn't end well, but he still wanted to be in the same room as someone else. Maybe he could even crawl into his bed and snuggle with him. He was sure his caretaker wouldn't mind. As long as he didn't wake him in the process. Why would he care if he slept in the same bed as him when he allowed him to fall asleep on his lap once?

America exited his room and tiptoed through the house, in the dark, on his way to the room Russia was staying in. He wanted to be careful as to not disturb the other humans. They weren't a pleasant lot to be around when they were cranky. Even during times he wasn't the direct cause of their stress. He understood they didn't always mean to freak out at him, though, as they would give him some form of apology if they yelled at him for no reason. He was quick to forgive them, even if they scared him, as long as they were willing comfort him after these situation when he didn't deserve to be yelled at. Even if the other humans weren't the best at managing their emotions, especially the one with bushy eyebrows (for someone smaller than him, who he could easily beat up, he was still intimidated by him at times, as the Brit's overreactions made him worry about what his caretaker would do if his rage was considered valid).

America was cautious as he approached Russia's bed. He needed to be careful in plotting how he would crawl under the covers without disturbing his caretaker. He kept a careful eye on the other as he placed a hand onto the bed. The human remained sound asleep, despite the pressure being applied to the other side of the bed. Taking this as a sign it was okay to plop onto the bed, the young nation placed his other hand on the mattress and pulled the rest of his body onto it.

He crawled toward the area next to Russia, and slowly lifted the covers, so he could bundle up in them next to his caretaker. His heart skipped a beat when the sound of rustling sheets next to him filled the once silent air. With wide eyes, America whipped his head around to the person next to him, to find, much to his adversity, that the other was now facing him. It was too dark in the room to determine whether or not Russia's eyes were open, but the young nation could tell, based on the faint outline of the other's silhouette, produced from the small amount of light in the room, that his face appeared to be lining up with where America's was. A potential, futile attempt to make eye contact in the dark room. America believed it would only make sense for the other to be awake, as in his opinion, lifting up ones head for a prolonged period of time required energy and consciousness.

Russia spoke in a sleepy tone, causing his heart to beat at faster rate than it already was, "What are you doing here, Amerika? Why aren't you in bed?"

Though Russia's tone had shown no signs of aggression, America was still uncertain over whether or not he should respond. Why did he even bother seeking out his caretaker's company in the middle of the night when he wasn't sure if it was wise to do so in the first place?

Russia ignored the lack of response, as he asked, "Did you have a nightmare?"

Still, no response.

"You can sleep with me if you want. I'm sure the other's would understand if you were having a nightmare and didn't want to sleep alone. Why don't you lay down now?"

Russia patted the area of the bed next to him. America interpreted this as a signal that it was okay for him to crawl under the covers and cuddle with his caretaker, and did so. As soon as he was under the covers, he was wrapped in the human's arms and pulled close to him. The young nation responded to this by snuggling his face into the other's chest and relaxing in the warm embrace. A sweet scent of clean laundry welcomed America. Sweet scents never ceased to bring about memories of pleasant experiences. Unlike the sterile scent of a laboratory or doctor's office. How could anyone tolerate such a harsh, unnatural smell?

America closed his eyes while Russia spoke, "I hope you are able to sleep well for the rest of the night. I would hate to see you exhausted all day tomorrow. It's going to be your birthday, and I want you to enjoy it."

Though America was in a resting state, he still kept his ears perked for whatever was to be said next. Though he viewed himself as stupid and animalistic compared to the other humans, he believed, after three months under their care, he was catching on to some of the words they spoke. Their speech was a repetitive sequence of noises. He always believed it was unique compared to the noise other animals made, but at first, he doubted he was capable of figuring what they were saying out, and barely put any effort into doing so. His caretaker had always shown him nothing but kindness, though, and he was curious to find out the reason why. What made him so special to the human? Why would he sometimes spoil him with entertainment, food, and attention and hardly pay the other two humans any mind? Maybe his caretaker was trying to tell him why, and for all the hard work the other put into caring for him, America vowed to himself that one day, he would master their language. Even if he considered himself slow for a human, he believed if he tried hard enough, he would be able to understand their ways. Become more intelligent. He didn't care if his caretaker always viewed him as an inferior (though this was only a suspicion). He was growing used to being more submissive toward humans, as being so with one who wasn't the pure embodiment of evil had its benefits. As long as the ones who cared about him were happy to have him around, he could be happy too.

Russia rested his head on top of America's, as he continued speaking to him, "This past month flew by. I wish it could've lasted longer. You've been playing outside a lot, lately. I love watching you have fun out in the sun. I want to spend more time with you, but unfortunately, I can't stay away from my country forever. And neither can Canada or England. We're lucky our bosses even let us do this."

Though he wanted to try his best to figure out what the other was saying, America couldn't help but doze off, due to how comfortable he was. Russia didn't mind the lack of response, as he continued, "After the next world meeting, the three of us decided it would be best if we each took care of you alone for a month at a time. Sure, there will still be times we'll all be working together to take care of you, but this is just what we have to do for now. Unfortunately, England and Canada are going to be taking care of you before I do. And the only time I'm going to be able to see you, until it's my turn to take care of you, is when we are at a hotel for world meetings. I'm going to miss having you around. Even if you can't talk and you don't understand normal human behavior too well right now, you're still nice to have around."

Russia pulled the blankets tighter around the two of them. Even if he wasn't tired at all during that current moment, he still wanted to go back to sleep, as for one, he suspected he would be exhausted soon, two, he had nothing to do, and three, he couldn't afford be asleep all day during the young nation's birthday. That would be rude! He had difficulty falling asleep at night. He estimated it could take him anywhere from one to two hours to fall into a deep slumber. This was why he hated to be awoken. He couldn't help but be annoyed with America for waking him up, though, he tried everything in his power to not express his exasperation. The anger didn't remain when when it became apparent the uncivil nation didn't intend to disrupt his peaceful slumber, as it was difficult for him to be angry with his comrade when he was in a snugly mood. Besides, what if the one he was caring for needed something? He couldn't assume his presence was pointless. America was useless when it came to caring for himself, or figuring out what to do in an emergency, so it was his responsibility to do everything in his power to take care of any problems.

After making sure America was snug under the blankets, Russia wrapped his arms around him once more, "Good night, my little ponchiki."

If America was still awake, he would've tried his best to respond. Even if his sorry attempts at words would either be misunderstood, or ignored. It was always worth a shot, though. The humans didn't have a problem with him trying.

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 **A/N: The reason why I wrote an exact scene from the anime in the beginning of this chapter is because I wanted to show instead of tell. And I didn't want to make up my own version of it because then that wouldn't be cannon. But I don't want to come off as scandalous either, so if people have a problem with what I did, I will remove the first part of this chapter. Even though the wiki pretty much spoils what happens, and isn't this particular episode also free to view (I'm not sure if it is anymore, but I know it used to be)?**

 **Also, this chapter wasn't intended to make you guys feel bad for England.**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: I didn't intend for this chapter to be so long, but I guess it was just meant to be. Sure, maybe there are some details in this chapter that don't need to be there, but I personally didn't mind reading through this, and I also don't want to shorten it, now that it's so long (I know, not a good reason to keep it the way it is, but I'm proud, this is the longest chapter I've ever written at 8,752 words, not including this author's note).**

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It was one of those rare times when morning couldn't come fast enough (as normally, one would say it came too quickly). Even if Canada was one to rise from bed during early hours of the day, he still managed to find waking up at four in the morning and being unable to go back to sleep exasperating. Despite the fact that it was only two hours before the time he'd normally wake up. The reason this bothered him so much was because he had nothing to do until everyone else was awake. All his work was completed, the house was clean, it was too early to prepare breakfast for everyone, and he couldn't hope to form an idea of what he should do to entertain himself, as everything he wanted to be doing couldn't be done. What he wanted to do most was bake a cake for America, but Russia had told him he wanted to do it. As much as Canada enjoyed baking once in a while, America's caretaker enjoyed it more, and he didn't want to bake the cake if someone else was excited to do so themselves and wanted to do it alone. Perhaps he could check if they have all the ingredients for the cake Russia planned to make? The meals for the day had all been planned in advance, so it wouldn't hurt to double check and run to the store if there was something missing. At least this would give him something to do.

He couldn't help but be relieved when he found there were some ingredients he needed to buy. Not only would this give him a speck of excitement this morning and an excuse to leave the house, but double checking, something he probably wouldn't have done until the last minute without boredom, prevented him from having to go out while he was busy preparing the special meals for America's birthday. He hated being interrupted in the middle of his work. When he started something, he wanted to finish whatever he was doing as soon as he could and as well as he could. Besides, pausing in his cooking didn't always make the final product turn out as well as it initially could have.

Even if Canada wanted to walk to the store, as it was near by, it was too dark outside during the current moment for such an idea to be a safe one. Sure, he was a bit on the tall side for a male and had been granted extra strength because he was a nation, but neither of this was much. Compared to his brother, his extra strength wasn't so impressive. He could count on being able to knock out two average sized males without a problem, but he doubted he would ever be able to take on a group of body builders. Especially if said body builders had weapons. Night was a perfect time for such people to strike pedestrians wandering around on their own. Whether they were male or female didn't prevent it from being dangerous.

Instead of walking, he drove to the store. Not many people were there, which was fine with him. He hated when stores were crowded. It wasn't easy for someone who tended to be soft-spoken around strangers, and sometimes with people they were familiar with, to navigate a store cluttered with people. It was awkward.

Even if he was appreciative toward the lack of people, he still wasn't too fond of the _interesting_ characters wandering the store while it could still be considered night. Canada wasn't one who wanted to judge people based off appearance, or even first impressions. He believed it was wrong to do that to another human being. Appearance wasn't something one could always help, and he was a strong believer of second chances. Besides, it was still dark out, so this caused him to be a bit paranoid.

However, even if it was day, he still found it difficult to trust the odd individuals lurking around the store. If he was an idiot, he would've mistaken them for zombies. Self-care didn't appear to be a main priority to these people, their eyes lacked a lively spark of aspiration, and their actions hinted they only lived for the sake of existing. He hoped there happened to be someone who was more lively in the store. Even if it was only one other person than him, he would be much more relieved if he came across them; to discover that not everyone in the store had the appearance of a predator. He figured there was bound to be at least one other person, aside from him, who could be considered "normal."

Though this reasoning filled him with hope and helped him understand his surroundings were not as dangerous as his instinct was trying to make them, it still made him repentant for patronizing those he assumed to be low-lives in his head. As he'd established to himself before, it was dark out, so he was paranoid. As many people were when they wondered outside at night on their own. All this made him wish he'd waited until the sun had shown hints of peeking out in the horizon. Even a single streak of faint sunlight would calm his nerves about the situation at hand.

Making sure no one in the store was stalking him, Canada set out to search for the food items they'd somehow forgot after a week of planning America's birthday. He figured it would be best if he completed this task and left the store soon, if he didn't want to make himself become foolish over his hypothetical ideas of what could happen to him. Fortunately, there wasn't much they'd forgotten, but based on how spread out the foods were in the store, he was going to be walking all throughout the building in order to complete his task. He might as well buy an extra treat for his brother while he was at it. Not only could it be his good deed for the day, but an act of kindness would make him have more faith in his karma.

As luck would have it, fresh doughnuts were being put out to sell in the bakery section. Sure, it was a bit early for them to be doing this, but Canada found this convenient. He grabbed a chocolate, cream-filled doughnut with rainbow sprinkles (one of America's favorites), and placed it in a small bakery bag. It'd been a long time since his brother had a doughnut for breakfast, as the other nations were worried one would be too rich for him, or not healthy enough to have for the first meal of the day. Besides, his appetite wasn't as strong in the morning as it was during other times of the day, when his body was more warmed up and hydrated. It was difficult for one to eat when their body was still half asleep, and they were somehow dehydrated from sleeping, despite having a cup of water not too long ago. Even if the stomach _swore_ it was hungry, it would still chose to reject food after a few bites some mornings (not in the sense where one would vomit). Canada could relate to this. His own body was sluggish in the morning as well, which was why he would wait an hour before eating breakfast.

After purchasing everything he needed, and being reassured by the appearance of a cashier who had a harmless demeanor about her, Canada walked to his car with all the needed food items, and drove back to his brother's house. He didn't expect there to be even the slightest hint of a sunrise, as he'd been in the store for at most, fifteen minutes. He hoped someone at the house would be awake, as sitting around in a dark house alone was boring.

Upon arriving to America's house, Canada brought the bag of groceries into the kitchen and placed all the food items where they belonged. Luck must have been on his side that day, as it wasn't long until England, in a half-awake state, wandered into the kitchen. The first thing he did upon arriving to the room was sit at the table and ask, "Good morning, Matthew. Did you get some groceries this morning?"

Canada nodded in response, as he placed the bag with America's doughnut in a cupboard before sitting down at the table as well. Satisfied with this response, England continued on with his inquiries, "Just out of curiosity, did you happen to buy some protein shakes for America? I checked the fridge last night and realized I forgot to do so. Though I wanted to save it for this morning."

"Yes, I made sure to get him his protein shakes. I double checked everything to make sure we had what we needed."

"That's good. Thanks for going out of your way to do that."

"It's not a problem."

An hour had passed, before Canada became aware of his hunger and figured it would be best to cook breakfast for himself and England. Six o'clock was nearing, but it was still too early to wake America. He wasn't in the mood to deal with the young nation when he was cranky. Nor would he ever wish to ruin his birthday by forcing him to celebrate it while he was exhausted. He wasn't an early bird, and possibly never would want to become one. There wouldn't be a problem with him making something for the two nations, who were still asleep, later. Besides, America would probably only end up eating the doughnut he bought for him and be satisfied.

It was nine o'clock, by the time Canada figured it would be best to check on whether or not America and Russia were awake. Though he didn't believe they were sleeping in too late, as it was still three hours before noon, he hoped they would awake soon. He wanted Russia to work on the cake in the morning, so he wouldn't be busy baking it during dinner.

Canada strode toward America's room, in order to check on his brother. Upon reaching the room, he couldn't help but be shocked, due to the fact that his brother wasn't in there. He couldn't recall witnessing any evidence of the young nation roaming about the house. There wasn't a single sound coming from him all morning. Perhaps the other happened to wander about in a quiet matter? It wouldn't be too far fetched for him to have learned how to be more stealthy.

He was on the light side when it came to his weight, so his footsteps would be quieter than they would be for the average person. Being thin also made his movements faster. His small form would make it easy for him to hide. These two qualities would make it easy for him to escape from someone's range of sight if they were nearing him, or if one of his footsteps ended up being louder than what he needed them to be. This way, his presence could be put off as a figment of someone's imagination, if they didn't manage to figure out he was there.

Canada checked the other rooms in the house. He couldn't help but worry for his brother. Not having a clue as to where he was would, most of the time, mean trouble. He didn't have a clue as to whether or not Russia was keeping an eye on him. He prayed for the possibility the large nation was keeping him near by, but staying silent about doing so. Sure, he would've wanted to be informed about this, but he didn't have the right to be angry with his comrade, as he hadn't even met with him recently. He believed the other was still asleep, anyway.

Considering the possibility of America being with his caretaker, regardless of whether or not said person was asleep, Canada set off toward Russia's room, in order to be sure. Upon reaching the door, he knocked on it a few times. He received no response. He knocked on it a couple more times for good measure. There was still no response. Anticipation lurched in his gut as he grabbed the door knob in order to open the door. Sure, most of the time, no response meant he was either being ignored, or that there was no one in the room. He didn't want to be too sure, though.

Canada gazed into the room, after opening the door, and was shocked by the sight before him. America was snuggled up against his caretaker, with his face buried into the other's chest. Russia had his arms wrapped around him in a protective hold. A thick blanket was wrapped around both of their forms. There would be no need for Canada to worry about whether or not his brother was warm enough at that moment. Instead, he was more concerned about whether or not America was being smothered. Sure, it would take more than Russia's tendency to be overly affectionate for him to be harmed from a lack of oxygen, as nations were resilient and could survive anything that could suffocate a human. However, as his brother, he still could help but worry about the silly ways he could be injured.

Canada had to convince himself that his brother was going to be fine, before leaving the room. Of course Russia wasn't tying to hurt him. For one, he was sound asleep with America, and to be able to make another person have to go to the hospital while in a deep slumber would be both an impressive and terrifying feat. For another, the entire time he was caring for the young nation, Russia had never attempted to cause him any harm. Instead, he pampered him every time he had the chance to and wasn't bothered by the clingy behavior the one he was caring for displayed when he grew more comfortable around his caretaker. It was as if he viewed America as a member of his own family.

It did make Canada question why he cared so much for making sure America his friend. He appreciated the fact that Russia's intentions were harmless, but the more he worked them out, the more questions he had. He obviously wanted to improve his relationship with him, but there had to be more to this than politics. Was Russia lonely to the point where he wouldn't mind taking care of a full grown adult, whose behavior was equivalent to a toddler's? Loneliness wasn't a far fetched possibility. Sometimes when he made eye contact with him during world meetings, he could detect emptiness in his gaze. As if something was missing in his life. Sure, Russia had his sisters, but they weren't exactly... normal.

Recent memories of Russia spending time with America popped up in his head, and Canada couldn't help but believe that maybe his theory was correct. The other nation appeared to be much happier around his brother than he was before he had the chance to take care of him. His smiles were always genuine around him, and he would often give him looks of adoration. Canada had never witnessed this new, strange behavior from Russia, and in a way, he couldn't help but view this as a blessing. He preferred this nurturing, gentle side to him over the intimidation he would often express (whether it was intentional or not). Even if he wasn't on the receiving side of his affection (not that he would want someone to smother him, as if he was a brainless object of affection), he was happy his brother was receiving all this love after everything he'd been through. The quiet, friendly environment, as well as the love, was helping him heal. Though he was sure Russia wasn't going to baby him forever, as it wouldn't be healthy for him to do so. He was sure he'd always express affection toward him, but at some point, America was going to need to be challenged, if they wanted him to become a functioning adult.

After Canada left the room, he figured it would be best if he prepared something for Russia to eat that morning. Even if he was still asleep, he didn't believe he would be sleeping in much longer, as he had gone to bed at eleven the night before and was normally a morning bird, who only needed eight to nine hours of sleep. Though he had been busy the day before, so he probably needed more sleep than usual, as he was exhausted after doing eight hours of paper work. Plus, he had America to take care of.

Meanwhile, in the room Russia was staying in, said nation stirred, due to all the sunlight leaking through the window and pestering his eyes. It'd been partially cloudy before, so the room had been darker, but unfortunately for him, the sun didn't want him to sleep in any longer. However, despite not being able to sleep any longer, Russia still wasn't willing to leave the comfort of his bed, and instead, lied there for ten minutes as his heavy eyelids were forced to remain open. He swore, taking for ever to fall asleep and having trouble waking up in the morning was a horrible curse. He was sure if he didn't waste an hour lying there and trying to fall asleep and spending the first hour in the morning exhausted, he would not only have more time on his hands, but he'd also be a happier person. Not that he wasn't already happy with America around.

Russia turned his gaze toward said nation and smiled at the sight of him. The other was still sound asleep, despite the ill-mannered sun attempting to ruin their morning with its blinding rays of light. For whatever reason, America didn't appear to mind the sunlight in the slightest. The fact that light didn't bother the young nation when he was trying to sleep was something that confused his caretaker. He'd been locked up in a dark cell for two years, when he wasn't being poked at by scientists. When there was light, it would've meant trouble, so why didn't he mind sleeping with so much light in the room? Despite having a lot of energy in a healthy state, it was true that sometimes, America did tend to laze about. Russia didn't even understand why it shocked him when he found out the one he was caring for slept so often. Though he did have times where he was an insomniac, so perhaps these phases mislead him. He also proposed that cuddling him was helping in fall asleep in uncomfortable settings, such as a bright room. Perhaps being loved by and having trust in another person enough to encourage him to all asleep in environment others would have trouble sleeping in.

Russia brought a hand toward America's face and stroked the others cheek as he proceeded to sleep in peace. It wasn't necessarily his intention to wake the other from his deep slumber, as much as he was hoping this gentle action would eventually cause him to stir. His main purpose for this action was to express his affection toward the nation snuggling with him. Even if it would go unappreciated, due to the fact that the other was still asleep and wasn't aware of what was going on. Rubbing his cheek in a slow motion was the best way to awaken the young nation, aside from being affectionate. After all the trauma America had been through with the scientist, the other three nations were better off figuring out as soon as possible that it wasn't wise to startle him, so they couldn't used loud noises to awake him, but instead, quiet voices and if they were desperate, small shakes that couldn't possibly cause anyone harm. Sure, it was common sense, and it wasn't as if they weren't able to guess that it wouldn't be wise to surprise him, but there still were a few actions they'd performed while caring for him that they had no clue were going to shock him. Unfortunately, they weren't able to America's mind and found out every thing that scared him within a second. It wasn't realistic, and they were sure anyone would understand if they made mistakes, which resulted in frightening the young nation, once in a while.

Fortunately for the caretaker, it didn't take much of his stroking to awake the one he was caring for. America's eyes fluttered open, and after spending half a minute to try and keep them open for good, he gazed with unfocused eyes toward whatever happened to be in front of him; still halfway in the world of dreams. In response to this, Russia ran his fingers through the dark blonde locks the young nation had been blessed with. They were soft and thick, and were only becoming more appealing as he became more healthy. His caretaker couldn't help but be happy for the others improved health. Not only was it making America happier, but it was also improving his appearance. Not that he hadn't been handsome before, but Russia could've understood someone being repulsed by the condition the poor nation had been in the first day he was away from the scientists. His hair had been unkempt, his skin was too pale, there were dark circles under his eyes, and his demeanor expressed nothing but paranoia. Had someone not understood the context of how he'd ended up this way (though, it'd been obvious he'd been through Hell, and it wouldn't require too much brain power to understand something horrible had happened to him), they would've assumed the worst of him.

Now, instead of being a complete wreck, America expressed more confidence around the humans who earned his trust. Sure, he had moments where he'd express submissive, anxious behavior, but Russia was able to help him out of these spells with ease. He wanted the other to obey him, as there were still rules he needed to follow in order to make everyone's lives easier, but he didn't want him to be afraid of him. There was a difference between firmness and cruelty. Firmness did not involve taking every opportunity he could to control the uncivil nation. It only involved teaching him to be more disciplined and mold his character when he did something wrong. Giving him a hint that what he was doing was not acceptable was often all it would take to make him understand. If this didn't work, a scolding would do the job. America wasn't stupid. He understood when his caretaker was telling him to stop doing something, despite most of the words being foreign to him. It was one major trait that separated him from a child. Children tended not to understand authority, or why they should even listen to their parents, but he understood his caretaker had a reason for not wanting him to perform certain actions. In a way, it was a sign of maturity. A sign that not everything had been lost when his memory was erased.

Besides, it wasn't as if the nations caring for him wanted to do anything more than scold him when he did something wrong. Fortunately, in the past month, he was well behaved, and didn't need anything more. To this day, Russia was still regretful for force feeding him when he wouldn't eat. It wasn't meant to be a punishment, but to him, it might as well have been torture. Since nothing else was working, so he didn't have a choice. It was another unfair situation life threw at him, but at least America was willing to forgive him. No one deserved to fear the ones they were stuck living with.

Aside from the improvement in his mental health, he'd become more handsome. Though he was still pale, there was more color in his face. His eyes were more lively, and appeared to be brighter. His hair was becoming easier to manage, and due to sun exposure, it had accumulated medium blonde highlights. When Russia had grown aware of the slight change in hair color, he couldn't help but be fascinated. He was curious as to why America's hair had been darker when he first caught sight of him in his vulnerable state. Now, he could tell that the other's hair was quick to lighten in the sun. He also believed he could now say with confidence that the other had blonde hair, as a couple months ago, it could've easily been mistaken for brown.

When America had gained enough consciousness to focus on his surroundings, he turned his gaze toward Russia's face, in order to make eye contact with him. He was delighted to find the other staring back at him and running his fingers through his hair. The affection helped him remain content, despite the fact that he was still tired. He also couldn't help but be pleasantly surprised when he found himself lying next to Russia, as his caretaker would always tuck him in and have him sleep on his own whenever he fell asleep next to him. Though, he was quick to overcome this shock, as he didn't mind sleeping next to his caretaker at all. After all, the other nation was warm.

Russia halted in his stroking and withdrew his hand from the young nation's head. At first, America was disappointed with the fact that he was no longer receiving affection, but he was quick to overcome this, as he understood that they couldn't lay in bed forever. There were tasks the two of them would need to complete. His caretaker wasn't going to let him do anything until they were finished with their morning routine. Fortunately, having his hygiene taken care of didn't take too long. The longest part of the routine was having to take a bath, but at least the water helped him wake up in the morning. He loved soaking in the warm water in the morning, as well as being allowed to play around in the tub for ten minutes before Russia scrubbed him with soap and water. He also appreciated how having his hair washed wasn't something that occurred every day. He hated it when the other nation washed his hair, as every time, shampoo would end up in his eyes. His hair was still washed often, though.

After being bathed, America would have to deal with shivering in the cold bathroom air, as he'd be unprepared for it after soaking in warm water. As much as he wanted to keep the towel clung to him, in order to stay warm, Russia was determined to try and dry him off as soon as possible. This would lead to the majority of his body being to the cold air, which made him miserable. At least when his hair was wet, his caretaker would take out a hair dryer, after drying off his body as much as he possibly could with the towel, and used dried off his hair with the machines warm air. The warm air from the hair dryer relieved America and stopped him from shivering. By the time it was turned off, it'd helped his body dry off enough so the cold air wouldn't bother him as much anymore.

There were a few other tasks Russia would perform, in order to maintain the young nation's hygiene, which annoyed America. Especially when the other nation would force a strange plastic object in his mouth with a revolting, sweet cream on it. He still wasn't used to having the strange object in his mouth, which was why he was always tempted to move his head away from it when it time for Russia to insert it. He hated how he had no control over what his caretaker would do with it when he forced it into his mouth, or how he couldn't figure out what the purpose of scrubbing his teeth with it was. The scientist never did this to him. Did this mean there was a valid reason for inserting the strange object into his mouth? His caretaker was smart. He viewed him as a natural leader, so perhaps it was best if he went along with his strange ideas of what needed to be done.

America was happy when the morning routine was complete. The moment he awoke, he hadn't been hungry, but after forty minutes of waking up from being in a bath, shivering in the cold bathroom air, and dealing with other strange procedures, he was famished. He couldn't wait to discover what the other nations had, or were going to prepare for him. Sure, since he had no understanding of what a birthday was, he was unaware of how special the day was. Instead, he viewed this day as any other day. This still didn't stop him from wanting something delicious for breakfast. Sausages and pancakes weren't a bad idea. Nor were bagels. Could they, perhaps, even make cinnamon rolls? America's mouth watered at the idea of eating cinnamon rolls. They were one of his favorite things to eat in the morning.

Much to his adversity, America was halted in approaching the kitchen when England stood in front of him and Russia. He was holding a scale at one of his sides. The Brit turned his attention toward the caretaker, after examining the young nation's current condition, and spoke, "I know I've been putting this off, but we need to check how much Alfred weighs. I want to make sure he's gain some weight in these one and a half months since the doctor's appointment."

All Russia replied with was, "Alright, we can do that real quick."

With that said, England set the scale down on the ground, and Russia encouraged America to stand on it and remain still. They waited for the results on the scale to show up. It wasn't long until the number one-hundred thirty appeared on the screen.

"What?" England exclaimed, "He only gained three pounds!?"

"That's not so bad," Russia said in response to England's disappointment, "That's an average of two pounds a month. If this keeps up, he'll be at a healthy weight in a year."

"Three pounds still isn't much, though. For all I know, this could all be water weight."

"I wouldn't be so worried about water weight in the morning if I were you. He pees a lot after waking up."

England cringed at the crude comment, "I didn't need to know that."

"I'm just saying."

"Anyway," England tried to change the topic away from America's tendency to pee a lot in the morning, "since water weight isn't a cause of concern, I suppose the amount of weight he gained in one and a half months isn't too bad, but I still think he could gain more. I guess it's a good thing we got him some protein shakes today, because I want him to start drinking one of those every day."

With that said, England left the two nations alone in the living room. Russia turned to America and said in a low voice, "Sometimes, he worries too much about you. I don't think you're doing a bad job at gaining weight. At least you are a lot healthier than you were three months ago. Your seem to be a little stronger too."

America studied Russia's speech as he was spoken to. He kept his eye out for all the unique movements the human's mouth made while he talked, to determine if he could correlate them with specific sounds. He mouthed a few of the words, in an attempt to mimic his caretaker and memorize the movements with his lips. He also mumbled what sounds he believed went with each movement, in order to figure out whether or not he could produce the sounds correctly.

It wasn't long until Russia grew aware of what America was doing. He couldn't help but smile at this and say, "Are you mouthing everything I'm saying? You have a silly way of learning how to speak. It's kind of cute."

America detected laughter in the other's voice, and couldn't help but be discouraged. He gave up on mimicking what Russia was saying through mouthing his words. Not understanding before hand that what he was doing was strange caused him to be self-conscious of his own behavior.

Russia caught onto the lose in confidence, and tried his best to console the other nation, as he brought him into a one arm hug, "Hey, I didn't mean to make you feel insecure about what you were doing. I thought it was a great way to learn how to speak! It just wasn't something I expected to see. It was different, but not bad!"

America was less embarrassed about his method of learning speech, after being held by his caretaker and having the other speak to him in a reassuring tone. Taking the more relaxed demeanor as a sign that he'd been forgiven, Russia changed the topic, "Why don't we have breakfast now?"

The young nation perked up at the word "breakfast", though at this point, it wasn't shocking to Russia that America understood what that word meant. The one he was caring for had always been a huge fan of food. Any word relating to food would be helpful for him to figure out, as it would help him understand when it was time for him to eat.

Russia guided the young nation into the kitchen, and sat him down at the table. Though he himself was eager to eat, he made sure to always feed America before he fed himself. This way, the other wouldn't have to watch him eat while he was still hungry, as he wasn't allowed to eat on his own unless the food he was eating hardly left a mess and didn't require silverware.

Upon reaching the kitchen, Russia was handed a doughnut, and was informed by Canada, "I bought this doughnut for America while I was out shopping. I figured it would be a nice breakfast for his birthday, and that it would go well with his protein shake."

"That was thoughtful of you," Russia stated, "I'm sure Amerika would be more than happy to eat this for breakfast."

Though America had never had a doughnut before, the sight of the pastry was enough to interest him. He could tell, by the appearance of the food, this meal was going to be sweet and filling. He wasn't sure whether or not the cream splattered on top of it was chocolate, but he was eager to find out. After all, the humans never gave him anything too gross to eat, so he figured it couldn't be anything disgusting.

Russia disposed of the small bag the doughnut was once in, and approached America with his breakfast. The young nation couldn't wait to bite into the sweet pastry. His mouth watered, as he anticipated the new flavor he was about to experience. As soon as his caretaker sat down in the chair next to him and hovered the doughnut near his face, so it was in eating range, America bit a large chunk of the pastry off. It wasn't long before he had the entire meal gobbled up and washed down with a protein shake.

After he was finished feeding America, Russia made sure to wash his hands and clean the young nation's face before he went to work on the cake. Since there was food being made, the uncivil nation remained in his seat at the table. Despite being full from breakfast, he was curious as to what his caretaker was making. Perhaps the human would give him whatever he was making? He didn't care if eating any more food would make him sick. He loved to eat and he would rather be queasy than hungry.

Russia didn't mind the company as he cooked. In fact, he found it amusing and cute how the young nation always wanted to hang around whenever there was food. He was fond of the other's large appetite. Instead of putting it off as gluttony, he considered it gratitude toward the food that was offered to him. Besides, he was a huge fan of cooking. It was one of his favorite hobbies, so to have someone who was always eager to eat what he made was flattering.

America was entertained by the process of making a cake. He enjoyed watching all the ingredients being measured and mixed into the cake batter. There was something about observing another person cook that gave him a sense of satisfaction. The end product wasn't what gave him this sense of accomplishment, though, even if it was one reason why he loved it when his caretaker cooked. It was the fact that the clunky ingredients would be turned into a smooth liquid, which never ceased to give him a sense of accomplishment. It was magical. He wished he could perform such sorcery, but the humans never allowed him to use the tools required for the task. Perhaps one day, if he managed to obtain their level of intelligence, they would teach him how to perform this strange magic.

After Russia placed two round cake pans full of batter in the oven to bake, he focused on his next objective: prepare the buttercream. He figured since the cake was a chocolate flavor, he would make cream cheese frosting to create a contrast in the flavor. Though chocolate was delicious, and the majority of people on the planet would agree with him on this (even if they weren't a fan of sweet foods), chocolate buttercream was too redundant and typical when combined with a chocolate cake for his liking. He was sure the one he was caring for wouldn't mind this choice in flavor. He wasn't picky, and Russia was personally a fan of the combination, so perhaps this increased the odds of the young nation enjoying it. Besides, cream cheese frosting was an off white color, which would make the colors of the cake decoration pop. Sure, he could've made vanilla buttercream, if this was what he was going for, instead, but vanilla wasn't as strong flavor wise as cream cheese was. Vanilla frosting had a gentle sweetness to it, while cream cheese frosting was both a sharp cheese flavor and sweet.

During the two times Russia had turned on the mixer, America didn't do so much as flinch. His caretaker observed this lack of response to the loud noise, and when he was finished mixing the buttercream, stated, "I see you are no longer afraid of the mixer."

America eyed up the frosting on the beater; eager to have a taste of it. Russia wasn't oblivious to this desire, as he could detect the curiosity and hunger in the young nation's demeanor, "I suppose you deserve a reward for overcoming this fear. Why don't you try this frosting out?"

Russia removed the beater from the mixer and handed it to America. The young nation licked the frosting until the beater was clean and handed it back to his caretaker. He hoped he would be allowed to have more of the buttercream later, as it was one of the most delicious treats he'd ever had the privilege to enjoy. The human appeared to be delighted to find he enjoyed the treat, so perhaps he would be given more at some point.

Hanging around the kitchen wasn't the only form of enjoyment America was given that day. The other nations had gone an extra mile to make sure he was happy at all times. This didn't mean he was allowed to do whatever he wanted, as he would still be scolded if he did something wrong, but they were willing to play with him more often than they had any other day. He didn't understand why the humans were being so friendly toward him that day, but at the same time, he didn't want to question it. Maybe they were in the mood to spend time with him, or over time, they bonded with him more and wanted to hang around him more often. He was happy with the company, as sometimes, only having one person play with him for hours on end was boring.

However, spending their time keeping America satisfied all day, while preparing for the evening, had left the nations caring for him too exhausted to want to work on preparing dinner. Instead, they figured it would be best to order some food from a restaurant, as the young nation wouldn't take any offence to not having his birthday go as planned anyway (nor did they believe he would care if he was back to his normal self). They ordered Chinese take out, as all of them were having cravings for it and they wanted America to try it out, since he hadn't had it yet while they were caring for him. It wasn't the most American meal for the day, which was important to his country, but he had no awareness to this fact. They were sure, later on, he wouldn't care. It wasn't as if they were planning on going to the fireworks and doing other things other people did during this holiday anyway, as doing so would be too much for the young nation to handle. They only wanted to make him happy because it was his birthday.

As they predicted, when the food arrived, the scent caused America to stalk them out of excitement and hunger. It was a primitive behavior he still exhibited to try and receive as much food as possible. This often involved him being a mooch. Since he had no way of understanding it was rude to stalk people when they had food, they didn't shun him for this behavior. At least he didn't try to steal the food off their plates and would wait patiently to be fed. Besides, the stalking made it so they wouldn't have to go through the trouble of making sure he came to the kitchen during meal times.

They figured it would be best to eat outside in the backyard, as it was beautiful outside. The sun was out and clouds were scarce. It wasn't too warm or cold and the wind wasn't causing any problems. The table in the backyard was also shaded, so no one would be forced so sit in the sun (even if it wasn't sweltering out, the sun could still burn their skin).

As soon as the food was placed on the table, Russia grabbed all the food he was planning on feeding to the nation he was caring for. There were all sorts of foods he wanted America to try out, and the sooner he prepared his plate, the better. The young nation was dying to try out this food, as he hadn't eaten in a while. His stomach was on the verge of throwing a tantrum, due to how empty it was.

America gobbled down every bite of food served to him. He enjoyed every bite of the food, as there was nothing he was being served he wasn't a fan of. He also couldn't help but be shocked at how well the sweet sauce covering the chicken he was fed complimented the meat. Sure, he'd had chicken with barbecue sauce before, which he supposed, in some sense, was sweet, but this sauce was sweeter, and yet he somehow managed to enjoy it better with the chicken. These humans never ceased to amaze him. First, they had the power to create food or make it appear out of no where, and then they were able to combine flavors he'd initially believed were not wise to combine. Were other humans able to do this too? It didn't appear to be a talent for everyone. The scientist hadn't even bothered trying to do this and one of the humans caring for him, during the rare moments he cooked, always failed to make something delicious. Either two of the humans caring for him had special powers, or this was something some humans were capable of. He wondered where they received the food they didn't cook, though. They hadn't cooked this Chinese food, so did they have the ability to materialize it? If they had the ability to do this, why would they bother cooking? All they would have to do is go outside for a while and come back with food. Other humans were too complex for him to understand.

After America was fed a decent amount of food, the cake and ice cream were brought out. The young nation couldn't help but be excited about the fact that he was now going to be allowed to eat the cake and have vanilla ice cream to go with it. He loved how his caretaker decorated the cake, and though a part of him didn't want to destroy the beautiful creation, another part of him found it too tempting to leave uneaten. It wasn't as if he had a say in the matter anyway, as the moment it was taken out, they cut a chunk of the cake out and gave the slice to him with a side of the ice cream.

He savored every bite of the desert, while the other nations brought out presents for him to open. He wished he was able to finish everything given to him on his plate, but alas, his stomach could only hold so much food. Half way through finishing the ice cream, he was gagging due to how stuffed he was. This caused his caretaker to set the plate to the side and rub his back. Panicked by the fact that his food was now being taken away from him, he reached out to grab the plate, but was prevented from taking the food back, as he was pulled into a hug by the human who was once feeding him and told in a low voice, "It's okay. We're still going to feed you. I just don't want you to get sick from eating too much. But we would never let you starve."

Soothed by the reassuring tone, America snuggled his head against his caretaker's chest. Of course he wasn't taking the food away from him out of meanness. There was always a well-meaning reason for everything the humans did and they didn't want to do anything to cause him harm. The human understood his stomach had reached its limit and didn't want him to become sick. He didn't want to be sick either, even if it was better than going hungry. However, there was still something about leaving food uneaten which he didn't believe was right. Both logically and morally, he was against wasting food. However, his caretakers were never angry with him if he couldn't finish the food given to him, and it wasn't as if the food waste was excessive, so perhaps this shouldn't make him ashamed of himself.

A birthday themed bag was placed on the table, in front of where America sat. At first, he was confused as to why there was a bag stuffed with tissue paper in front of him. He didn't want to peak inside to find out if there was anything else, as he feared the humans would become angry at him if he did this. No one was touching the bag, and were instead staring in his direction and using an encouraging tone, for whatever reason. This made him nervous. Did they want him to check what was inside the bag? Why would it be acceptable to do so now, but not previously? Were they trying to find an excuse to be angry with him? What would be the point in doing that? Why did humans have to be so confusing?

His speculation was interrupted by the sound of his caretaker's voice, "Go ahead, Amerika. You can look inside the bag."

Understanding the term 'go ahead' meant he was granted permission to search the bag, he lifted it from the table and did so, but was still nervous about doing this. Fortunately, no one yelled at him when he shoved his hand into the bag, so he continued to search for anything that wasn't colorful tissue paper. When he touch something squishy and soft, he couldn't help but be delighted. He yank whatever the object was out of the bag and became even more excited when he discovered a golden dog plush in his hand. He held the dog to his chest in a tight embrace; excited to have this toy as a new friend.

However, the moment was ruined for him when the sound of a small explosion erupted near by. This caused America to yelp and cling to his caretaker for protection. Canada sighed at this reaction and stated, "I forgot, some people like to set off firework in their back yard during this day."

"I guess we should go inside, then," Russia replied.

With that said, the nations entered the house. It was when America was in the living room where he experienced a stomach cramp from being uncomfortably full. It didn't take long for Russia to become aware of this and he brought the young nation to sit on the couch so he would be more comfortable.

At first, all America did in response to being placed on the couch was groan in discomfort, so his caretaker figured he needed to do more for the one he was caring for to make him more comfortable. Perhaps a belly rub would do? With this fresh idea in mind, Russia placed a hand on the young nation's stomach so he could rub it. However, he was interrupted when the other curled into himself and giggled. With a sigh, he told America, "Please, try to relax. I'm doing this to try and make you feel better."

It required a few more tries, but Russia had managed to keep his hand on the young nation's stomach without him jumping and laughing. As adorable as he found the fact that America was ticklish, he wasn't in the mood to tickle him. Instead, he preferred the one he was caring for didn't suffer with his stomach ache.

America was in heaven. Though he was sure the ache would still be there if his caretaker stopped rubbing his belly, this still didn't prevent him from enjoying the moment. All he wanted to do was lie on the couch and have his belly rubbed for hours on end, or until he fell asleep. He didn't understand how it was possible, but the humans had managed to spoil him even more than they did on a normal basis. There was no doubt about it, this was the best day of his life, or at least, of the part of his life he could remember.


	18. Chapter 18

A world meeting taking place in the United States of America was scheduled a week after America's birthday. The few hours in the morning, during the day before the meeting was to take place, would be the last the young nation would be able to enjoy in his house for the next three and a half months. It was time for him to venture out and become more familiar with other places in the world. At some point, he was going to have to progress from his housebound state. Even after being pampered for a few months by the nations caring for him, he still hadn't gone to commonly visited places, such as a grocery store. The three nations caring for him figured being pushed to live in different countries for a while, as well as spending a few nights in a hotel, would make him less afraid of public places.

Unfortunately, since America wasn't aware of the fact that he only had a few hours left at his house and didn't want to wake up early and prepare to leave, he made a fuss the entire morning. Perhaps if he'd understood what was going on, he would've done a better job trying to enjoy the rest of the time he had left at his house, but since there was no way to communicate this to him, he remained a grumpy, tired mess. At first, the other nations had tried to ignore the tantrum, in the hopes the young nation would give up due to a lack of attention. Later, they'd tried to tell him to knock it off, but still continued on with packing everything up. However, Russia lost his patience with the uncivil nation when he shoved his bowl of oatmeal away and spilled it in his fit of irritation, "What in the world has gotten into you!? You need to stop it with this bratty behavior! Just because you're tired, doesn't mean you have the right to act like this! No one wants to be up this early, but we have to if we want to get to the city the meeting will be in on time! So deal with it! Besides, you can always sleep in the car if you're so tired!"

There was a moment of silence as America stared at Russia in shock. Sure, he was aware of the fact that he was misbehaving, but he didn't understand any other way he could communicate what he wanted from the humans. At most, he'd expected to be scolded, but not yelled and ranted at. He turned his gaze to the floor in shame and fear. He regretted letting his emotions control him. It hadn't occurred to him how ridiculous he'd been acting until he was given the harsh wake up call. Not only had he wasted food and made a mess, but his caretaker was angry with him. This could've all been prevented, had he kept himself under control. Even if he didn't understand the words the human was using when he yelled at him, it didn't take him long to figure out what he wanted.

Russia turned away from America and tried his best to redeem himself after the outburst. He needed a moment to take a deep breath before he cleaned the mess the young nation had made. However, while he was doing this, a soft voice told him, "I think that was too harsh, Russia. There was no need for you to yell at him like that. I'm not saying that it was okay for him to act the way he was. At some point, he's going to have to figure out that this kind of behavior isn't okay. But yelling at him like that when he can't even speak yet is going to hurt and confuse him. He doesn't even understand why he has to wake up early, and there's no way to explain the reason why to him. He only thinks we're doing this out of meanness and wants to make it known that he isn't okay with it so that it will, hopefully, never happen again. But yelling at him won't get the point across to him, so please refrain from doing so in the future."

Russia turned his gaze toward Canada; agitation was obvious in his demeanor, but he was still willing to try and be civil about the matter at hand, "I understand this wasn't the best thing for me to do, but I was getting so tired of the tantrum and I didn't know what else to do. The silent treatment wouldn't work. Making him do the things he didn't want to do, despite how much he protested, didn't work. Telling him in a calmer tone to stop what he was doing didn't even work. If there was anything else I could've done that wasn't so harsh, I would've done it. But to me, it seemed like he needed a wake up call."

"I still believe there was a better way you could've handled this. I'm not sure how, but there must have been a better way. I'm sure he learned his lesson from this, but it still seemed too harsh. Why don't you apologize to him once your more calm, so he knows you still care about him?"

Russia went over what Canada had told him in his mind. Sure, maybe he had been harsh, but at the same time, he didn't want to tolerate the bratty behavior and end up with America being an undisciplined mess. There was a chance this could've been a one time occurrence, due to the fact that the young nation had to deal with the scientists and such an experience was bound to make someone more disciplined (though he didn't believe such a harsh method should ever be used to 'fix' someone's behavior), but he still didn't want to risk it. He didn't want the other to be scared of him, though, "Fine, I suppose I should apologize to him. I'm sure he's smart enough to realize throwing tantrums isn't a good idea, after receiving such a reaction, anyway."

Russia turned around to face the young nation once more, and couldn't help the guilt clawing at his stomach when he caught sight of tears forming in the other's eyes, as if he was doing everything to try and prevent himself from crying. He pulled America into a hug and told him in a soft voice, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell at you like that. But you can't act the way you were just because things aren't going your way. I didn't do what I did for the sake of being mean. I did it because you needed to learn this and I didn't know what else to do. I didn't want to be harsh to the point of making you cry, though."

Relief flooded through America at the forgiveness being shown to him. He nuzzled his head against Russia's shoulder and allowed himself to be comforted. He wanted to make sure he and his caretaker remained on good terms, as it would be foolish to burn this bridge. He vowed to himself he would try his best to never do this to the one who cared for him again.

Due to the more calm reaction, Russia was given a vibe the one he was caring for was going to be more well behaved for the rest of the day, which made it easier for him to be more forgiving toward the bratty behavior. It wasn't as if he believed this situation made America a brat. He hated to admit it, but if this was the case, the bond between them wouldn't be as strong as it was. All he had was a moment. He was sure the other wouldn't turn this into an everyday occurrence. He still believed the young nation was a decent person to be around and didn't mean any harm with his actions. Besides, he could've been worse with his tantrum. At least he hadn't screamed up a storm or turned violent, as some kids would. All he did was refuse to listen to the other nations, shoved away anything or anyone who came near, and groaned with irritation.

When Russia released America from the hug, Canada stated, "Here, why don't I clean up this mess while you prepare Alfred for the car ride. I guess we'll have to pick something up for him to eat for breakfast before we leave the city, since there's no time to make him anything else to eat."

With that said, Russia brought America into the living room to put a jacket and a pair of shoes on him. Once he was ready to venture outside, his caretaker brought him to the car and placed him in the seat next to the window. He himself choose to sit in the middle, so the young nation would be able to snuggle against him if he wanted to and would be easier to deal with if there was a problem. He wrapped the one he was caring for in a blanket, as he was aware he was going to be cold from the air conditioning (and the other three didn't want to suffer with the heat because he was unable to keep himself warm).

It wasn't long until the other two nations entered the car. After a brief argument over who should drive, Canada sat in the driver's seat, while England sat in the passenger's seat in the front; irritated he'd lost the argument. Russia tried his best to hold back the laughter, as their fights about driving were always entertaining.

The car ride hadn't been pleasant. It was difficult for Russia to not make a mess while he was feeding the young nation his breakfast, despite the fact that the other three had tried to give him the least messy meal possible. A couple pieces of hash brown still ended up on the car floor, but at lease he hadn't spilled the protein shake everywhere.

Aside from feeding being a difficult, messy process, Kumajiro wouldn't leave the warmth of Russia's lap no matter how many time the nation told him to get off. In fact, he'd even fallen asleep on his legs, and didn't stir while he was being bossed around. He'd tried removing the animal by picking him up and setting him aside, but this resulted in the polar bear growling at him. It wasn't long until the exasperated nation gave up on trying to make the stubborn animal move.

Worst of all, America wouldn't stop shifting about in his seat, due to how restless he was. Russia had tried to find ways to make him fall asleep, as he could tell the other was still stressed out from being tired, and from the fact that he was being forced to endure a long car ride. However, despite all his efforts, the other was unable to relax, and a few hours into the ride, he was whimpering. This was when the other nations figured it was time to take a break from all the riding. In fact, they were worried they had spent too much time in the car at once, as the young nation had never been in one for more than fifteen minutes.

They stopped at a rest area in the middle of the woods. Fortunately for them, this rest area was deserted, so they wouldn't have to worry about the young nation being frightened by the presence of other people at the moment. There was plenty of space for him to walk around and he was eager to explore the trail. The four nations spent twenty minutes at the rest area before resuming to their car ride, and this time, America was content.

However, it wasn't long before Russia stated, "Do you think we can stop to eat somewhere soon? I haven't had anything to eat yet today."

Unfortunately, since they were all in such a rush, they hadn't packed any food for the trip, aside from America's protein shake. The reason why Russia hadn't eaten anything before they left was because he was preoccupied with making sure the one he was caring for was fed and comfortable. He wanted to make sure the other didn't go insane from all the stress of the car ride. It wasn't the first time he skipped meals to care for America, but it didn't bother him much, since he'd had multiple times in his past where he'd struggled to feed himself and had grown used to it. Even if he didn't mind the hunger and the fact that he'd lost a few pounds in the past months, he still wanted to make sure he didn't end up a living skeleton, as this would make it difficult for him to function as a nation. There was also the concern of rapid weight loss setting a horrible example for the young nation.

Neither of the two other nations appeared to be opposed to this request. They must had been famished as well, as even if they had eaten earlier in the day, it hadn't been much. Besides, America had a large appetite. Even if he had a full meal only three hours ago, there was still a high probability he was hungry. Canada replied to the request, "That doesn't sound like a bad idea. We'll be at the next city in about half an hour. It'll be about lunch time when we get there. Besides, it probably wouldn't hurt to have Alfred get used to being in public. Maybe if we find a restaurant that doesn't have too many people in it, it'll be a small step in the right direction with Alfred's anxiety. The whole reason we left so early was to get him used to road trips and what not, anyway. So we need to take things slowly, for his sake."

Though his stomach was impatient and didn't want to wait any longer for food, Russia was excited to discover it wouldn't take more than an hour before he could eat something. Besides, America's snugly behavior was making it easier to ignore the hunger. The fact that the one he was caring for was in a more calm state of mind than he was before gave him relief.

America had closed his eyes, and considered dozing off until he was awoken when the car stopped once again. Even if he was confused as to why he had to wake up and why the humans parked the car in front of some unfamiliar building, he did what was requested of him, as he didn't wish to be yelled at for a second time that day. Besides, the scent of food was welcoming, even if he wasn't certain about whether or not the building was safe. He was sure, though, the humans caring for him wouldn't bring him to this place if it was dangerous. At least the place didn't appear to be occupied. He didn't want to have to put up with strangers.

However, he changed his mind about there being a possibility of this strange place being safe, as when they entered through the front door of it, it wasn't long until the group of nations was met with a tall lady. Even if the human before him was a woman, America was intimidated by her. She stood a few inches taller than him, and though he could detect similarities between her and the eye doctor he met, such as long hair and a few feminine facial features, he still didn't doubt her potential to be stronger than him. He even believed this girl could be competition for his caretaker, when it came to size and strength.

America hid behind Russia, in the hopes this lady wouldn't bother him if he was out of the way and out of sight. He was blessed with the ignorance of the other human's embarrassment toward his behavior, as if he'd been ashamed of himself for acting this way in public, it would only add to the distress he was in. The problem was terrible as it was, and he didn't wish for it to worsen.

Though her expression hinted the fact that she was weirded out by the American's strange behavior, she tried her best to pretend he wasn't acting the way he was, and plastered a smile on her face as she asked, "Is it just the four of you?"

Canada answered the question, "Yes."

"Would you like a booth or a table?"

"A booth, please."

The waitress lead them to a booth in the corner of the restaurant, much to the three more civil nation's relief. They had been tempted to ask the tall lady serving them if they could have the most secluded booth in the restaurant, but they were worried such a request would be odd. Though it didn't matter what a handful of strangers assumed about the lot and it was silly to care, it was only human nature to not want others to be suspicious of oneself. No matter how trivial such a request happened to be.

With some coaxing, Russia was able to have America sit at the end of one of the padded benches, where he believed the young nation would have the hardest time catching sight of fellow customers. This, however, didn't reduce his anxiety in the slightest, as he wasn't oblivious to the strangers speaking among themselves in the room. If he hadn't been afraid of his caretaker's disapproval, he would've bolted out the door and ran until he was far away from any human. He hated this place to the point where his nose no longer registered the aroma of food surrounding him. It was as if it too believed the place was a trap.

After the waitress asked them what they wanted for drinks, Russia turned to America and grabbed one of his hands. He spoke in a quiet voice, "Don't be scared. No one here's going to hurt you. All they care about is eating their food. They'd rather do that than bother you. What would they gain from harming someone they don't even know?"

The soft tone was working wonders on the young nation's mood, as it lessened his anxiety. This encouraged Russia to continue, "I'm sure you'll learn to love this place soon enough. They have a bunch of tasty food here and the kind lady you met at the front only wants to serve you something to eat. It's her job to bring food to the people here."

America tried his best to prevent himself from flinching when the waitress returned with their drinks. If his caretaker was sure this woman, as well as all the other people in the restaurant, didn't intend to cause any harm to them, he didn't wish to disappoint him by letting the comforting words be forgotten or ignored. Besides, when he was with the scientists, he found that in some cases, showing fear to a human would encourage them to cause him harm; as if the fear made him come off as easy prey.

Fortunately, when the waitress left the four nations alone once more, America was able to relax after a while of the human's absence. Since the young nation had been stressed throughout the day, and understandably so, his caretaker was willing to let him have a cup of pop as a treat for being well behaved during the car ride. Ever since his memory was erased, he had never had the privilege to drink pop, as the humans caring for him feared the beverage would be too sugary for him. However, after the nation had consumed a bunch of sugar throughout the time they cared for him, they grew less wary at the idea of giving him such a sugary, caffeinated drink. After all, America had proved time and time again he was capable of handling large quantities of sugar without acting like a lunatic or growing anxious of his surroundings, as would be expected of someone who hadn't had more than a pinch of sugar every day for two years straight.

They didn't allow America to guzzle the pop down, though, as they didn't want him to become too bathroomy or full from the drink while he was eating his lunch. Not only would it be annoying, but it would interrupt someone's meal if the nation kept needing to use the bathroom. It would also be a bother if he was full to the point where he was finished eating before everyone else, making the other nations have to find ways to entertain him, as he would have to wait for the others to finish eating their own meals before he was allowed to leave the restaurant.

Since America had been prevented from consuming all his pop, it was clear there was still plenty of room in his stomach for the lunch ordered for him, as the moment the plate of food was set in front of him, he gazed at it with hungry eyes. The plate in front of him presented to him two large, triangular sandwiches with a side of fries. He wanted to devour the meal right away, but was forced to wait, as his caretaker wanted to fix the food so it was easier for the young nation to consume without help. The toothpicks holding the two sandwiches together were removed, and the sandwiches they once held were split into four tiny ones. After this, ketchup was poured next to the fries, but the other nation was careful to not cover half the plate with it and make a mess. Though some would've preferred a drizzle of ketchup all over the french fry half of the plate, there was no way America could eat the fries in such a fashion without making his hands messy. He wasn't even capable of using silverware to eat anything messy with, which was why he was given a meal that didn't require any in the first place.

The moment Russia left his food alone, America dug into his meal. Anyone who wasn't used to caring for the young nation would be disgusted with the fashion in which he ate his food, but the other nations didn't mind the crude manner in which he ate at all. They were over it, after putting up with it for over three months and having no way to teach him to be more proper while he was eating (as he wouldn't understand a word they were saying), so there would be no point in being bothered by it. Besides, one of the reasons they wanted a table out of the sight of others was so he wouldn't bother fellow costumers at the restaurant.

None of the other nations were shocked when they found America was the first one finished with his meal. However, Russia was impressed with the fact that he had finished eating everything on his plate, as the meal was huge. He figured this accomplishment warranted praise, "Wow, you ate that whole plate of food! Good job!"

America perked at the words "good job" and allowed a smile to spread across his face. He loved being praised. Especially for something as easy as eating. He appreciated the fact that eating was something he was often allowed to do and how he was often rewarded for it instead of punished. He also loved how, aside from the one time he he was forced fed for refusing to eat at all, the nations caring for him weren't pushy when it came to feeding him. They reassured him when he wasn't able to eat anymore food or had an upset stomach. If the scientists were dead set on making sure he ate something they offered to him, or believe he was "being a brat and going on a hunger strike", they were quick to resort to a force feeding. This sometimes resulted in injuries for the poor nation. This had lead him to being confused as to whether or not he wanted to eat food at all, while he was under the scientist's 'care'. It was tempting to eat food, and he understood he needed it for energy, but he also hated what the scientists would sometimes do with the food and how they made it taste. After having the privilege of tasting real food, any time he recalled the food from the scientists caused him to gag. Fortunately, he was aware of the triggers: rotten, sterile, or sour scents.

He didn't mind waiting for the other nation's to finish eating their lunch. He was too full to want to do anything other than sit on the cushioned seat and day dream. However, his mind wandering was interrupted when his caretaker grabbed his hand and encouraged him to stand and follow him someplace. America obeyed the silent command and walked with him through the restaurant, despite the couple stares he received from fellow humans. Though he was nervous about being in their sight, he was calmed by his full stomach and the comfortable temperature in the room. He didn't understand why, but tasty food was an easy way to help him grow more comfortable around humans.

Russia, on the other hand, couldn't help but be embarrassed about the idea of helping the young nation use the bathroom in a public restroom. This was the first time he had to do this, and it was no surprise he didn't want to be caught standing next to the one he was caring for while he was peeing, or worse, have someone watch him aide in unzipping the other's pants. A part of him assured it wouldn't be the end of the world if he explained why he needed to invade the other's privacy (though the helpless nation had never shown signs of being disturbed by these invasive actions). He could tell whoever desired to question him the one he was caring for had special needs. It wasn't a lie, as the young nation wasn't capable of living on his own, and needed help with normal human functions. Besides, he had medical documents to support his claim, along with qualifications allowing him to care for the poor nation.

Once he returned to the table, after giving America a potty break, the three more civil nations paid for the food and headed out to their car so they could continue traveling. Fortunately for the others, they didn't have to worry about keeping the young nation entertained while they were on the road, as his full stomach made sleep easy for him. There was a warmth in Russia's stomach as the other's head rested on his shoulder, as if it was a pillow. He found it cute when the one he was caring for was willing to cuddle with him and wished he would do it more often (even though it was clear he was cuddly by nature as it was).

America was allowed a five hour nap for the rest of the car ride. Even if the other nations weren't fond of the idea of letting him sleep this long during the day, as they were worried he would have trouble sleeping at night if he did, they still didn't bother to wake him. They figured the nation needed to sleep, after being forced to wake earlier than he was used to, having to deal with strangers, and suffering through a long car ride.

When they arrived at the city the meeting would be taking place in, America was forced out of his long nap. At first, he protested being awoken, but it didn't take long for him to accept the fact that he was going to have to wake from his peaceful sleep. He waited for the other nations to stop at a hotel and for one of the humans to check into a hotel room, while he sat in the car, before having to follow the ones caring for him into the mysterious building. Since there appeared to be even more people in this building than there were in the restaurant, America was nervous about entering it. However, he was aware it wasn't up to him whether or not he entered the hotel, so he complied.

Upon entering the hotel, America tried his best to pretend he was else where. This, much to his adversity, had resulted in him being distracted and bumping into someone. At first, he'd wanted to scramble away and act as if the incident had never happened, but was unable to upon catching sight of the stranger he'd disturbed. The man, though a few inches shorter than him, had an intimidating air to him. It was disturbing how similar in appearance he was to one of the scientists the young nation had the misfortune of meeting. His hair was the same shade of dark brown and his skin a similar level of paleness. The only differences were his eye color (a brownish hazel instead of a light blue), face shape, and the clothing he wore.

Though he was aware there was no way this could be the scientist, America still couldn't help but be horrified by this man. He wanted to run away, or scream for help, but he found all the muscles in his body were frozen, so all he could do was stare and hope the stranger chose to leave him alone. Fortunately for him, all the human did was say, "Watch where you're going!" before walking away. Even if the human hadn't done anything to hurt him, he was still in shock at the sight of him. The only thing in his mind at the moment were vivid memories of how the scientists treated him. It wasn't long before tears were rolling down his cheeks and his breathing quickened.

It didn't take long for Russia to grow aware of the fact that the one he was caring for stopped following him. He turned his head to try and find out where America was and couldn't help the shock when he discovered the young nation standing still and staring at a wall. When Russia strode over to him, to determine if the other was okay, he was saddened to find the other was crying; with fear evident in his expression. Since the caretaker only had one hand available, due to his task of carrying a couple bags, he tried his best to comfort the one he was caring for with a one arm hug as he asked in a quiet voice, "What's wrong? How come you're standing there like that?"

At first, America tensed upon being touched, but it wasn't long before the other turned to face his caretaker and clung onto him, due to his fear. Russia responded by tightening his embrace and saying, "It's okay. No one here is going to hurt you. Once we're in the hotel room, we won't have to deal with strangers anymore. You can rest in a comfortable bed."

Despite the fact that he was upset, America was still willing to follow Russia to their hotel room, but only if he was allowed to cling to him while they walked. When they entered the bedroom and had all their luggage set on one of the beds, Canada stated, "England and I will go get some food while you try and make America comfortable, okay?"

"Okay," was all Russia said as the other two nations headed out of the room.

While America cried over his encounter with the human whose appearance was similar to one of the scientist's, as well as how stressful his day had been, his caretaker changed him into a comfortable outfit for bed. He also attempted to calm the other by holding the other and mumbling soft words to him. After doing this for twenty minutes, he reached over to grab one of the bags at the bed they weren't sitting on and searched through it until he found the dog plush the young nation was given on his birthday. He presented the dog to the upset nation and told him, "Look, your puppy's here! He came along with us. He doesn't want you to be afraid of this place. He hates seeing you so upset, so he came to make you feel better!"

America smiled at the sight of the dog and pulled it into a tight embrace. He stroked the plush's soft fur, in an attempt to calm himself in the unfamiliar environment. Fortunately, the stuffed animal was doing its job, as it wasn't long until the young nation was relaxed. Russia couldn't help but smile, as he found the display in front of him adorable. How could anyone not be happy about the sight? Any time the sweet, innocent nation found happiness in his life, a warmth grew in his caretaker's heart, as if his world gained more meaning.

An hour passed by the time England and Canada returned to Russia's hotel room with groceries. They placed bags on the table and the three more civil nations sorted through them, so they could determine who would have what. While they did this, Canada asked, "Is Alfred doing any better?"

"Yes," Russia replied, "I was able to get him to stop crying. He seems pretty happy with his puppy right now. I just hope it doesn't end up being too noisy in the hotel. It's already bad enough that some parents let their kids scream down the hallways of hotels when you're trying to review your notes for meetings. I don't need a bunch of noisy kids scaring Alfred as well."

It didn't take long for the nations to sort through the food and before Canada walked out of the room with the food he and England would be sharing, he gave America a hug and told him, "You be good for Russia, okay?"

America gave him a quick hug back, before he was left alone with his caretaker. He turned toward the one caring for him, as the sound of rustling bags grabbed his attention. While Russia prepared dinner for the two of them, he stated, "It's nice that I don't have to go to the meeting tomorrow. I get to spend the whole day with you!"

Even if America was still lacking in his ability to understand English, the enthusiastic tone excited him. Perhaps there would be a reward for the long, uncomfortable car ride he was forced to suffer through?


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Yes, this chapter was short, but I didn't know how else I could've extended it. Besides, the past two chapters were kind of long, so maybe we all need a short chapter right now.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Frigid water engulfed America and caused his skin to prickle. When he forced his head above the water's surface, his breaths came in pained gasps. A scream of agony would sometimes escape from his throat, as the cold surrounding him was unbearable. He wasn't sure if he would've been better off going into shock as soon as his body was exposed to the unforgiving mass of water, as even if he did hate not being able to attempt to help himself, it would bring him into unconsciousness faster. Instead, he was forced to act on instinct and try to survive the harsh conditions as long as possible. There was nothing to grab onto and no way to escape. It was all up to his body to try and endure the cold water as long as possible.

It didn't take long for the young nation to learn how to swim from these cruel tests. Being trapped in a large body of uncomfortable water frightened him to the point where he was able to reach his full potential, when it came to learning survival skills. Even though the scientists treated him poorly, such situations never failed to give him the false hope that, maybe, if he worked hard enough to withstand the obstacles thrown at him, he would be able to earn himself a better position in life. Perhaps there was a reason they were making him suffer through these cruel tests. What if, in the end, they were helping him by doing this? Hope was the only reason America hadn't lost his sanity and he was blessed with the inability to never find out the reason why he was going through this. If he'd found out the truth of the scientist's intention, along with the fact that there was no way he could escape this fate on his own, it would've shattered his will.

Frigid water wasn't the only type of water he was forced to swim in. He would also have to endure boiling water (his least favorite of the tests, as it was painful and damaging to the point of disfigurement, and it caused him the irrational fear of bubbling noises) and, if he was lucky, room temperature water. The scientist wanted to discover the nation's limits when it came to such conditions. If they could modify humans to have such impressive survival skills (not all humans, though, only themselves and the humans who gave them the life they wanted), it would be revolutionary.

America was able to swim about in the water five times longer than a human would be able to without suffering with hypothermia. However, by the time the ailment had taken affect, his ability to stay afloat was gradually crippled. His energy was vanishing and drowsiness seduced his overworked muscles. His breathing become shallow and his coordination nonexistent. It was difficult for him to still care for the situation at hand when his mind no longer wanted to focus on any danger. Instead, the idea of letting himself drown in the water was welcoming. He didn't want to fight this losing battle anymore, as his body was giving up whether he wanted it to or not anyway.

At one point, for some reason he couldn't hope to explain, his surroundings became warmer. In fact, he warmed up to the point where he believed his was overheated. This was when he stopped his futile attempts to stay afloat for good. His lungs screamed with pain as water filled them, but he didn't care anymore. All he wanted at this point was to fall asleep forever, so he wouldn't be in pain anymore.

America awoke in a cold sweat. The air was freezing and it didn't take him long to find out he didn't have any blankets covering him to keep him warm. The young nation curled into himself as he pulled a blanket over his form and put all his effort into forgetting his dream. Recalling the horrible experiments, thanks to a vivid dream, was an easy way to ruin his day. If he had complete control over his brain, he would erase the memories the scientists gave him.

However, despite his efforts, America had broken down into sobs within minutes of waking from his dream. For a few moments, he believed he was going to be alone in crying about the traumatizing memory, but he was proven wrong when the human he'd forgot was sleeping with him shifted in his bed and asked in a quiet voice, "Are you okay, Alfred?"

America didn't respond, but instead continued to sob. This caused Russia to turn on the light in his bout of concern, so he wasn't blind from a lack of it, and pulled the one he was caring for into a tight embrace. He wrapped a blanket around the two of them, in an attempt to make the young nation warm and comfortable, and ran his fingers through his hair in an attempt to calm him, "Please, don't cry, little one. It was only a nightmare. I won't let anyone hurt you."

America nuzzled his head against his caretaker's shoulder and didn't protest when the strong arms held him tighter. Though it wasn't an immediate solution to his distress, the sweet words and gentle touch helped to make him less afraid of the dream. At that moment, all he wanted to do was cling onto the large human for all eternity. He was grateful to find someone who was patient with him and wanted him to be happy.

Fortunately, it didn't take long for the young nation to relax in his caretaker's embrace. After ten minutes, the tears stopped sliding down his cheeks and he was silent. Russia rewarded his calm demeanor by upgrading the petting of America's scalp to gentle pulls on various strands of his hair. The one he was caring for had grown to love this act of affection, despite how much it had caused him to freak out when the action was first performed on him. Initially, he believed the gentle hair pulling would lead to the human gripping it in a harsh manner, as the scientists did when he didn't behave. Instead, there turned out to be something natural and soothing about the sensation. Never would it had occurred to him hair pulling of any type could be enjoyed, but once more, the well-intentioned human proved him wrong.

America closed his eyes and stretched out his arms the same way a cat would stretch its front legs if it was relaxed. Russia let out a small giggle at this reaction and asked, "Are you enjoying yourself?"

America didn't respond, but instead, went limp in his caretaker's arms. At this, Russia stated, "You're so cute, Alfred! How is it even possible for someone to be this adorable?"

Russia couldn't help the reaction, as the young nation was acting cute. He didn't mean it in a romantic sense, but he was still overwhelmed by how precious the one he was caring for was. There was no denying it, as America had grown to trust him, he had stolen his heart in the process. Even when he was angry with how the other was acting, he still had a soft spot for him. Sometimes, guilt would attack his conscience when he had to scold the young nation, as he hated to make him upset. Despite this, it made caring for him an easier task, as he was more eager than ever to go through with it.

Even when America fell asleep, Russia continued to cuddle him. This was the last week he would be able to spend with him, before returning to his own house for a month. As much as he wanted to continue caring for the other, he understood he wouldn't be able to hang around him forever. Even if they ended up becoming best friends after this ordeal. There were going to be times where they would to have to be on their own, as the life of a nation required one to spend some time away from friends so they could work and represent their people. With this in mind, he wanted to make the best of what time he had left to pamper him.

Russia couldn't help but flinch when the young nation mumbled in his sleep, "No, I don't wanna..."

His caretaker stared at him for a while, as if expecting more to happen. However, after uttering those words, America snuggled closer to the one holding him and resumed to letting out quiet snores. Confusion pricked at Russia's mind, _Did he just speak fluent English in his sleep, or am I imagining things?_ A part of him was creeped out by this, as he hadn't expected or believed it was possible for the young nation to sleep talk. It couldn't be a result of faking his handicaps, as there would be no point in doing so. Besides, it was obvious the one he was caring for wasn't capable of talking, or performing other simple tasks grown humans could. If he was faking, he wouldn't appear so stressed when he tried to speak, or embarrassed when he failed in doing so. Most of all, the scientists wouldn't have allowed him to be an independent adult. They would've made sure he wasn't capable of functioning properly.

 _Maybe some of the memories he lost are coming back to him in his sleep?_ Russia theorized, _It seems like that would be the only possible way he would be able to talk in his sleep._ _I'm definitely going to have to tell the others about this. Maybe they'll be able to come up with a better reason for this._

Russia turned over so he was laying on his side and made sure America was snuggled next to him. After making sure they were in a comfortable position on the bed, he reached over to turn the lamp off. He pulled the young nation closer and rested his chin on the other's head. Though he was creeped out by the fact that the one he was caring for was able to speak in his sleep, at the same time, he was curious as to how it was possible. Nations were capable of doing many things humans couldn't. Some could even say they were magical. After all, they could live for hundreds, even thousands of years, withstand nightmarish conditions, sometimes had super strength and other supernatural abilities, and some were able to keep lifelong pets who can talk. These features were only a handful of their outstanding attributes.

With these factors in mind, Russia was able to understand America's ability to relive forgotten memories in his sleep or speak in his sleep, when he was unable to do so in consciousness, wasn't far fetched. This still didn't stop him for being interested in the strange ability. What other secrets was the young nation hiding? He had dealt with this nation during the cold war, and understood what he was capable of. He was fascinated by how intelligent and mysterious the other could be when he wanted to and was happy to discover this part of him wasn't stolen by the scientists. It gave him hope that America was still the same person he was before he was 'modified' by the cruel people who tried to destroy him.


	20. Chapter 20

Russia awoke at seven fifteen in the morning. At first, he was tired from being brought out of the world of dreams, but when he recalled the fact that he wasn't required to attend the meeting and was allowed to spend the whole day with America alone, excitement flooded throughout his body, and it didn't take long for him to become wide awake. However, he wasn't able to enjoy the day right away, as the young nation was still in a deep, peaceful slumber and he didn't want to wake him for the sake of having fun with him. Instead, he figured it would be best to prepare for the day.

After lying there for ten minutes and staring at the ceiling, as he enjoyed the warmth of the hotel bed, he crawled out of the comfort of the warm mattress and blankets. Since America was disturbed by the fact that he no longer had a large Russian to cuddle, his caretaker placed a pillow in his arms, in order to imitate as best as he could a body. Fortunately, the substitute pleased the one he was caring for, as the other smiled and nuzzled his forehead against the pillow in his sleep. He smiled at the sight, as it was adorable, before turning away so he could gather the needed materials for his shower.

For whatever reason, ever since caring for America, Russia found the amount of time required for him to shower had decreased. In the past, it would take from thirty minutes, all the way up to an hour for him to shower in the morning. Now, he spent fifteen minutes bathing himself everyday. Even if he was satisfied with how productive he became in cleaning himself, he was still curious as to why the young nation's company lowered his time spent taking care of his hygiene. Was it because soaking in warm water for long periods of time was an effective way to cure loneliness, and since he was no longer lonely, he didn't need to do this anymore? He swore, somewhere on the internet, someone once claimed a study had proven lonely people tended to take longer showers. Whatever the case may be, he didn't believe it would hurt to take this person's word for it. It wasn't important to fret over it; he only found it interesting. It was also another reason for him to want to help America out and be his friend.

It was seven forty by the time Russia was finished showering and performing other tasks in order to maintain his hygiene. He strode over to the bed America was lying on to check on how he was doing, and at first, he was delighted to find the other was awake. However, his joy over discovering this was short lived, as it didn't take long for him to figure out the one he was caring for wasn't well. His face was paler than usual, and he was holding his stomach and groaning. His caretaker sat on the bed and rubbed his cheek in an attempt to comfort him as he asked, "Are you okay? You like you're about to throw up."

All he received in response was another groan, so he figured it would be best to urge America out of bed and told him, "Okay, I'm bringing you to the bathroom, so you can throw up in the toilet."

Perhaps it would've been better for him to bring the trash can to America, instead of dragging him to the bathroom to vomit. However, Russia didn't trust the tiny waste basket in the hotel would be suitable for such a situation. The young nation would be stuck sitting up, since his caretaker didn't trust he understood he couldn't throw up wherever he pleased, which left setting it on the floor out of the question, as he assumed the other would ignore its presence if he did this (after all, the bed was higher off the ground than what he was used to). He didn't want to risk ruining the bed or the carpet if the one he was caring for chose not to comply. Another reason why he didn't want to do this was because it would be an inconvenience for the poor hotel maids. Besides, America needed to understand, at some point, most unpleasant bodily fluids are supposed to go in the toilet. The three nations caring for him were growing tired of how dependent he was and believed he should've been able to do more things on his own by now. Sure, they didn't expect him to be an independent adult right away. They were aware the scientists modification of him was going to take years to fix. However, they believed he should still be able to do a few small actions on his own by now, so Russia was trying to encourage the one he was caring for to be more cleanly.

Fortunately, America was willing to follow Russia into the bathroom and obeyed as his caretaker coaxed him into a leaning position over the toilet. The one caring for him rubbed his back as vomit poured out of his mouth and into the toilet. No mess had been made, which relieved the more civil nation. He was also surprised by how well the young nation handled the situation. It was as if he understood what was expected of him. Perhaps this was a step in the right direction and it wouldn't be long before America would be able to do this without being told to. Maybe he'd even be potty trained within a few months, since it was one of the skills he appeared to be picking up on faster than the other ones (as odd as it was, though it probably had something to do with his age, as young children are far more difficult to deal with when it came to potty training). The young nation never had accidents, as he was wise enough to understand it was better to hold it for a few minutes than to be wet and smelly. The nations caring for him appreciated this.

Russia flushed the toilet and left the room to grab a napkin, so he could give America's face a quick wipe. After he was finished doing this, he walked the one he was caring for over to the sink and attempted to brush his teeth. This turned out not to be the best idea, as the pungent taste of the toothpaste upset his stomach and caused him to vomit a second time. His caretaker sighed at this, but wasn't angry at the young nation for the incident. He figured it would be best for him to wait before trying to brush his teeth again, as it appeared to be upsetting his stomach.

When he was finished cleaning up the mess in the sink, he brought America back to his bed and afterward, tried to come up with the best solution as to what to do with him while he was bedridden. Even if he didn't want to inconvenience the hotel maids, he figured he had no choice but to sit one of the tiny waste baskets on the young nation's lap. He placed a towel underneath, in case a mess was made. When the one he was caring for attempted to remove the mini trash can from his lap, as he wanted to lie down, he was scolded, "Leave it be, Alfred. I know you want to lay down and not have to deal with it, but I don't want you to end up making a mess in the hotel room."

America groaned at the demand, but complied. Sure, being forced to sit, while he was sick, wasn't the worst experience he'd ever had to deal with, as he at least had a pile of pillows to rest his back on. It was the fact that he was unable to pull the covers over himself in order to stay warm, due to the presence of the waste basket, and how not lying down made his nausea worse. As much as he hated it, though, he was forced to deal with it anyway, as he didn't want to anger his caretaker. He'd rather deal with his queasiness worsening than be yelled at and have to deal with both an upset stomach and the urge to cry.

Russia didn't mind the company of Canada and England, as they barged into the hotel room in order to check on America. It would be wrong to deny them the privilege, as Canada was the young nation's brother and England was also close to him, as he once acted as a foster parent. In fact, he was happy the one he was caring for had other people who were their for him. After all, what would happen to him in his vulnerable state if he hadn't had three nations protecting him? Russia doubted the other nations would be fond of the idea of him helping his needy ally by himself, without anyone else's approval, so he figured the other would've had no one to care for him, aside from the people in his government, which he didn't believe was going to benefit the young nation. Besides, if it hadn't been for these two, would America had ever escaped from the scientist's cruel treatment? After all, they were the ones who brought attention to the problem and formulated a large portion of the plan to save him.

Canada was able to figure out the other must have had an upset stomach when he observed him holding a waste basket and asked, "Is he not feeling well this morning? How come he's sick?"

"The restaurant food seemed fine, and I can tell that no one else here is sick," Russia replied, "He doesn't show any other symptoms of ailment, so I think the reason why he's sick is because of stress. He had a bad day yesterday. He was forced to wake up early, endure a long car ride, and deal with a bunch of people he didn't know. He also woke up in the middle of the night from a nightmare. I can only imagine how stressful yesterday must have been for him."

"Well, I hope he feels better. It's too bad he has to deal with this sickness when things are already stressful enough for him lately. Just try to do everything you can to make him feel better, okay?"

"Of course I will."

"And if he starts to feel better later on, do you think you could try to teach him how to speak? I don't think we've been spending enough time with him when it comes to learning how to talk, since we were so busy trying to make him not so scared of everything. But we definitely need to start picking up the pace when it comes to teaching him to be more independent. I understand it has only been three and a half months since we started caring for him, but he's a nation, and he needs to adapt to the life of a nation as soon as possible."

"Alright, I'll be sure to try and teach him how to talk. You know I always try my best to take good care of him."

"I know you do. I just wanted to make sure we start focusing more teaching him to speak, that's all. We'll see you two after the meeting."

"Okay, bye."

With that said, both Canada and England bid farewell to the young nation, before heading off to the meeting. Russia set to work on attempting to make America more comfortable as he dealt with his queasiness. He provided him with water, in order to soothe his throat and calm his rebellious stomach. He also allowed the one he was caring for to wear a jacket, as the other was shivering from how cold the air conditioned room was to him.

Russia embraced the one he was caring for with one arm, which caused the young nation to snuggle him in response. They remained this way for an hour, as for whatever reason, the caretaker had a bout of exhaustion and preferred sitting down on the bed, next to America, over doing paper work. Besides, the other made a perfect pillow for him when the two were sitting up, as he was taller (but not too tall) and was able to rest his head on the young nation's without straining his neck. He was happy the one he was caring for didn't mind (though if he was stuck with the task of keeping him warm and was tired, he would've done this regardless of whether or not the other minded it).

Russia was refreshed after the long cuddle session. He observed America's demeanor to determine if the other was doing better and was delighted to find the one he was caring for had no longer shown signs of sickness. Even though he was willing to relieve the young nation from the duty of keeping a miniature trash can on his lap, he still didn't let his guard down when it came to preventing the other from vomiting all over the place. He made sure to watch for signs of the queasiness returning.

Keeping in mind that fact that America's sickness may return, Russia grabbed a container of fruit from the small fridge, figuring something easy to digest would appease the young nation and his stomach. There was also a sweet, creamy dip to go along with the fruit, which he was sure the one he was caring for wouldn't be able to resist. He grabbed a plastic fork and sat on the bed next to his temporary room mate. After opening the lid to the container, he stabbed a piece of melon with the fork, dipped it in the the cream, and offered the food to America. The young nation accepted the offering, despite his stomach's uncertainty, and this process continued until half the container's contents remained. While placing the lid back onto the container, Russia made sure to encourage the other's obedience, "Good job on eating all that fruit! If you keep this up, you'll be at a healthy weight in no time!"

America couldn't help the smile spreading across his face. It was hard for him not to be flattered whenever his caretaker complimented him. His respect for the human never ceased to make him thirst for his approval, and the fact that all he had to do was try his best to comply with the other's wishes in order to receive it helped him grow more confident as the days passed by.

When Russia was finished placing the food back in the fridge, he sat down next to America once more and stated, "It's too bad you're afraid of people. We could go down to the pool if you didn't mind them. I'm sure you would love it. You can be energetic at times, so it would be a great place to release all that pent up energy. And if the pool water became too cold for you, you could always hang out in the hot tub. But I guess it wouldn't make a difference anyway. You aren't feeling too great right now, so it would probably be best not to bring you to the pool."

America gave Russia his full attention while he spoke, as the other continued, "I really want to do something with you today. I have time to spare, so if you felt better, I would be able to take you around the city. Maybe we could do that after the meetings are over. You're probably still nervous from yesterday, and need some time to get used to your new surroundings, so waiting a bit would be a great idea! Other than that, though, I should probably focus on trying to help you recover fully from your sickness. I think letting you soak in a warm bath will do the trick. After that, I could spend some time trying to teach you new words. You seem to be very close to learning how to talk. I know for a fact that you understand some of the things I tell you, we just need to get you to speak. I thought you would've done so by now. It usually takes a miracle to get you to shut up, so the fact that you aren't speaking yet is really odd. I'm still not used to this. But I guess it shouldn't surprise me. You seem to have a low self-esteem at the moment. You need to have more confidence in yourself."

Russia gathered a new outfit and America's favorite towel before saying, "Come on, it's time to take a bath."

America followed his caretaker into the bathroom upon catching sight of the towel. Even if the warm water was welcoming, he dreaded bath time because of the possibility shampoo or conditioner would drip into his eyes. He had difficulty preventing this from happening, even when he obeyed the other nation's request and tilted his head up when they rinsed out his hair.

Russia turned on the warm water in the tub and while it was running, poured body wash into the running water to produce bubbles. While the tub was being filled, he stripped America of his clothes and had him crawl into the tub. Once he was satisfied with the amount of water in the tub, he turned the faucet off and closed the toilet lid before sitting down on it to read a book.

The young nation was confused as to way his caretaker was reading a book, but figured he wanted something to do while he allowed him to play around in the tub before he washed him. Sometimes, the humans would allow him to play in the tub before bathing him. Since he didn't want to waste this opportunity, he messed around with the bubbles. His enjoyed attempting to build structures with the bubbles. He also found joy in letting clumps of bubbles fall off his hands and into the tub. There were even times when he would throw the clumps of bubbles around the bathroom, but this would result in a scolding, so he resisted the temptation.

After a while of playing with the bubbles, America grew confused as to why his caretaker wasn't cleaning him. All he'd do was glimpse at him once in a while to make sure he wasn't drowning. He didn't want to question it though, as he hated it when the humans washed him off. Even if he couldn't come up with a reason as to why the human was allowing him to mess around in the tub, he accepted the fact that he probably wouldn't be receiving a real bath, and slouched in order to allowed the water to envelope his torso. He let out a sigh of relaxation as the water soothed his muscles and stomach. It was as if a heavenly being was embracing him and telling him he was loved.

Russia didn't find it necessary to bath America at the moment. He was far from dirty, as he was bathed daily and it wouldn't hurt for him to miss one day. Besides, he wanted to reduce the other's stress, and since he wasn't fond of being scrubbed and having shampoo drizzle into his eyes, he figured it would be best to lay off this one time. Besides, the young nation lacked the tendency to become smelly. Russia figured this was because he was either blessed with a body that didn't produce much of an odor, didn't sweat much since he was rarely too warm, or he didn't exercise much and had no need to sweat. He wasn't sure if he'd be as willing to care for the uncivil nation if it was difficult to keep him clean, though he would be concerned for his health if bathing daily wasn't enough.

By the time Russia had finished reading two chapters of his book, he set it aside and grabbed the towel resting on the sink's edge. He unplugged the drain as a hint it was time for America to climb out of the tub, and when the young nation did so, he wrapped him in the large, soft towel. Soaking in warm water for a long period of time made the uncivil nation drowsy, so he leaned against his caretaker to prevent himself from losing his balance. Since he didn't want to become wet, Russia solved this problem by keeping America standing with one of his arms and using the other to dry him off. The other didn't mind it when the towel was removed from his form once in a while, as the room was humid from the bath and he was capable of enjoying the warmth even without the towel to protect him from any potential drafts.

Once America was dressed, his caretaker led him back to the bed and sat him down before the lesson began. At first, he'd been hopeful the young nation would pronounce the name of one of the objects presented to him, and although he would try at times, Russia grew less enthused about the teaching session when it occurred to him, once more, it wasn't going anywhere. The uncivil nation was embarrassed about his inability to speak and at times would attempt to avert his attention away from the task at hand. Russia didn't understand why he was ashamed he couldn't speak, or why he didn't give it all his effort, despite how much he wanted to appease him. Was he still afraid there would be consequences for attempting speech? His caretaker figured the scientists wouldn't have been thrilled to find him trying to speak and would punish him for any attempts he made. Whatever the case may be, they were successful in 'putting him in his place.'

After trying, and failing, to coax him to speak for half an hour, Russia gave up and stated, "We'll try this again later. Why don't we take a break now? Maybe if you watched some cartoons, you'd be more eager to speak. For whatever reason, you find those silly shows inspiring."

Russia brought out his laptop and set it on the bed. He opened it and put on one of America's favorite cartoons before returning to the adventure he was forced to pause in his book. Though he wasn't concerned the other was going to click out of the cartoon and search through his laptop, he still checked once in a while to make sure he was doing was he was supposed to.

America was happy to be allowed to watch cartoons. He hadn't been able to do so in a while and was growing bored. It was difficult for him to contain his excitement when a dog appeared on the show he was watching. He couldn't resist the urge to draw as much attention to it as possible as he cried out, "P-pup... p-puppy!"

Russia snapped his attention toward the young nation and asked with disbelief obvious in his tone, "Alfred, did you just speak?"

Upon being asked the question, America grew aware of his surrounding, as well as his rowdy behavior. He was worried he'd angered the human with his purposeless yelling. When his caretaker paused the video and opened his mouth to speak again, he braced himself for a scolding, "Can you repeat what you just said?"

America was confused when he detected excitement in the other's tone. He was excited about his yelling? Why?

When he received no answer, Russia lifted the young nation's dog plush in the air and pointed to it, "Can you tell me what this is?"

America grew nervous at the attention, but still complied, "P-puppy?"

Russia pulled the young nation into a hug, as joy overwhelmed him, "I'm so proud of you! You've finally learned your first word! It won't be too much longer until you're speaking on a regular basis! I knew you could do it!"

America blushed at the reaction he received for speaking. His caretaker was thrilled with something he did! He was overwhelmed with happiness, and he was to thank for it! How much longer would it be until he viewed him as an equal? Would he be able to have as much freedom as the other humans if he continued down this path?

It wasn't long after Russia freed America from his tight embrace when he grabbed a container of cupcakes out of the fridge and removed a chocolate one with vanilla frosting. The young nation focused all his attention on the cupcake. Was this a reward for making his caretaker proud? Perhaps he should speak more often.

America gobbled down the cupcake as soon as it was handed to him, while Russia petted his head, "You've improved so much since we first found you with the scientists. Just wait until the others hear about your first word!"


	21. Chapter 21

Russia was unable to hide his excitement when the other two nations came to visit his hotel room. He'd waited four hours in order to tell them the news about America's new achievement, which was why it was impossible for him to not blurt out before anyone else could say anything upon England and Canada entering the room, "Guess what? Amerika said his first word!"

"He did?" Canada responded to the news with shock, "What was it?"

"He was watching a cartoon, and saw a dog on the screen and shouted 'puppy' at it. He was even able to repeat the word when I held up the dog plush and asked him what it was! And he only stuttered a little while saying it."

England gave America a smile of approval, "The people who doubted him are going to feel so stupid when they find out how much he's improved. It would seem as if he's developing independence a lot sooner than the typical child would, though I suppose it shouldn't be a surprise in the first place. He's a nation, and one who is fully grown, so it's obvious the scientists couldn't damage him forever."

Though America wasn't fond of all the attention he was receiving when he didn't understand the cause for it, the fact that there was food present reduced his nervousness. It wasn't a common occurrence for the humans to give him take out, but it was one of his favorites types of food to eat and he wished he could have it more often. At least it was more often than when the human with funny eyebrows cooked. It was hard for the young nation to keep himself from cringing when he ate the human's food (if it was prepared in the oven or on the stove), but fortunately, the other humans were experts when it came to preventing him from cooking without causing much drama.

America was brought over to the small table the hotel room came with and had his food placed on it in an orderly fashion before he was allowed to eat it. Though Russia had texted them about how the young nation was doing better (but had kept out the fact that he spoke for the first time, as he wanted this news to come as a surprise for after the meeting), they were still uncertain about giving him fast food. What if the high fat and sodium content disturbed his stomach? They tried not to focus on this, though, as even if it was a cause for concern, the uncivil nation appeared to be far better than he had been in the morning, and probably appreciated a large, filling meal after having nothing more than fruit and a cupcake. He'd, unsurprisingly, also appeared famished after having so little. They had more important matters to discuss than the improbable recurrence of America's sickness, anyway.

While the young nation scarfed down his burger and fries, and drank the protein shake Russia had forgotten to give him earlier, the more civil nations discussed what had happened at the meeting, and gave America's caretaker a copy of the important highlights of said gathering. They also tried to figure out what their plans would be after the meetings were over, as they wanted to spend time with each other before going their separate ways. Spending time in new surrounding would also benefit America, as crossing paths with unfamiliar people and visiting places he'd never been before was sure to open his mind and reduce his anxiety. One reason he feared new environments and people was due to a lack of experience. It was difficult for one to be comfortable in different surroundings and around strangers if they were trapped in a dangerous environment with dangerous people for a majority of their conscious existence.

After having a forty-five minute discussion about their plans, they confirmed the fact that America would be spending the night with Canada the next day, as they figured going in reverse order of who the young nation would stay with during his month long visits was fair. They also figured exploring the city would be beneficial for the uncivil nation, as even if it was crowded, they observed offering an abundance of food made him for comfortable around strangers, and cities were full of places to eat. Besides, there were places with few people visiting them, where they were sure the young nation wouldn't fear hanging out in. However, if they wanted to find quiet place to visit, it would be a difficult task to find a building to suit his needs without him being bored out of his mind. There were plenty of museums to visit, but why would an uncivil individual want to go to a place filled with exhibits they wouldn't understand? What reason would they have to appreciate the findings in science or the recorded history of humanity when they still had to figure out the basics of life? Perhaps an art museum was a possibility, but at the same time, some children were easy to bore when it came to art and America wasn't renowned for his ability in said skill, so maybe this wouldn't be a wise choice either.

The three more civil nations departed, figuring they could come up with places to hang out when it came time to explore the city. Perhaps they would find an exciting place for the one they were caring for, which also happened to not have many people around. Better yet, maybe the young nation wouldn't mind being in a crowd at all, if there was an abundance of treats around for him.

Russia was shocked when he checked on America after the long discussion. The young nation had managed to comfortably eat the large meal offered to him! Not a drop of sauce or fry remained uneaten. His caretaker patted his head and exclaimed, "I can't believe you were able to eat all that! I was worried we were being ridiculous with the size of that meal. I mean, who would have thought you'd be able to finish a large bacon cheeseburger and fries with the state you're in? You never fail to impress me!"

America watched his caretaker dispose of the trash he'd produced whilst eating as the other continued in his speech, "It's a good thing you're starting to gain your giant appetite back. You're a young, large, and powerful nation. You need to eat a lot of food in order to stay strong. It's good for the health of your people too."

Once Russia had finished cleaning off the table, he brought America over to the bed, as he wanted to watch a movie with him. Finding various forms of entertainment they both enjoyed was one way they had developed a bond with each other, and in order to ensure this companionship didn't falter, the caretaker would try and spend as much time as he could entertaining the young nation. Fortunately, over time, his taste in movies widened as he spent time watching ones he'd never believed he'd enjoyed. He'd assumed most kid movies were garbage, as children tended to be more easily impressed than adults, so their shows didn't need to have as much quality put into them. However, since kid shows were the only forms of media America could watch on the screen, as he was sensitive to mature content, Russia was sometimes forced to watch them with him, and he'd been proven wrong about them. Sure, he was aware there were gems made for kids adults could enjoy too, but he'd been shocked by how many kids movies he loved to watch, when he'd believed they'd be stupid based on the first impression. It was as if the creators of these movies kept adults in mind, and had therefore, put effort into the plot and characters, and even hid jokes kids wouldn't understand. This made their time spent together all the more enjoyable.

Unfortunately, since Russia didn't trust the television would have content suitable for the young nation, he was stuck playing a movie on his laptop. Though America didn't mind watching his favorite shows on the portable device, his caretaker found it less comfortable than sitting on the couch and watching shows on the television. It wasn't the worst way to watch movies, as there were ways to try and lessen the discomfort, but he still avoided this method as much as possible.

When the laptop was set in a decent place on the bed, upon a miniature, makeshift platform so watching the movie would be easier, America lied down and rested his head on his caretaker's lap. Russia smiled at the cuddly behavior and made it his objective to appease the one he was caring for buy stroking his hair. A warmth grew in the more civil nation as the other nuzzled his hand to demonstrate his appreciation for the affection. The two could tell they were going to have a pleasant evening.

After completing two movies, Russia was shocked to find America hadn't fallen asleep or groaned due to the lack of snacks being offered to him. Instead, he'd remained content and focused throughout the entire movie watching session, which led his caretaker to conclude either the movies they'd watched were outstanding (he had plans for putting them on his list of 'Best Movies to Watch With Alfred') or the young nation was willing to have more patience than he normally did. Either way, Russia was happy.

Russia glanced over at the clock to find it was around six in the evening. Now growing aware of his hunger pangs, he asked the one he was caring for, "You haven't eaten anything in four hours. Are you hungry?"

Excitement dominated America's demeanor upon being asked the question; apparent in the comical fashion in which he jumped into a sitting position from lying on the bed within seconds, as if he was an energetic puppy. Russia giggled at the reaction and stated, "I'll take that as a yes."

Figuring a light dinner would be best for America, since he had a large lunch, he prepared him a sandwich halfway stuffed with vegetables and flavored with oil based dressing and lunch meat. In case the sandwich wasn't enough for him, he provided him with a handful of crackers on the side and two small cookies. The young nation gobbled the meal down when it was offered to him, but despite the speed in which the food was consumed, he was satisfied with the amount of sustenance he was provided with.

After he'd cleared his plate, America resumed to his snuggle session with his caretaker. Never before had the two nations cuddled so much in one day, but Russia didn't bother pushing the one he was caring for away, as he understood the other needed as much reassurance as possible at the moment. He was in a different environment with new people and he didn't understand why. He believed it would be more harmful to push him away and tell him to suck it up than to coddle him, as doing such would leave him hurt and confused. Besides, the young nation deserved the love and attention after all he'd been through! Nothing he ever did was close to making him deserving of the torture he'd endured.

 _I wonder how much longer it will be until Amerika learns my name?_ Ivan mused, _He's already said one word today and I have been trying to teach him how to say my name for a while now. Maybe I should try to teach him right now. At least he's tried to say it in the past, so maybe he'll be able to say it soon. I'd be proud if he learned how to say my name before anyone else's._

 _"_ Alfred," America turned to face Russia upon having his name called, "Do you think you can say 'Ivan'?"

There was no need for Russia to point at himself while saying his name anymore, as the young nation had figured out recently his caretaker's name was 'Ivan'. It was only a matter of saying it now. This was a hard task for America. He was still trying to figure out how to make a 'vuh' sound instead of a 'buh' sound when he needed to. It wasn't the most difficult pronunciation he was going to have to figure out, but it was more complicated than most others, in his opinion. At least it wasn't as complicated as the dreaded 'ruh'. He was worried he'd never be able to pronounce the last one.

Despite his insecurities about not being able to speak, America attempted to pronounce his caretaker's name, "Ee... ee-buh... ah. Ee-eebah-ah. Eebah-ah... n. Eebahn?"

Russia gave him a smile of encouragement, "You're getting closer. Keep it up!"

Due to the encouragement, America put all his effort into the task at hand. He needed to figure out the 'vuh' sound! Not only would this increase his ability to speak more words, but it would help him say the name of one of the most important people in his life. The one person who'd taught him humans weren't all evil.

America made many attempts at pronouncing the 'vuh' sound. It wasn't long until he was making a 'fuh' sound, which to him, 'vuh' appeared to be a mix of 'buh' and 'fuh'. Now all he had to do was merge the two sounds together and he would be able to say 'vuh', right?

"Eefuh-fahn. Eebuh-fahn. Ee... eefuh... fuh-vahn. Eevuh-vahn. Eevahn. Ivan!"

Russia pulled America into a tight embrace, "You did it, Alfred! You said my name! I'm so proud of you! It won't be long until you start talking regularly if you keep this up! But you're very smart, so I know it won't be too hard for you!"

When the excitement died down, Russia resumed to adoring America. Observing the young nation's face, he poked the bridge of his nose and stated, "Look at that cute little sprinkle of freckles."

America couldn't help going cross-eyed when his nose was poked and smiled at the playful behavior his caretaker was demonstrating. He didn't understand why, but the human was obsessed with poking his cheeks and nose. What was so special about them?

Russia, on the other hand, couldn't resist the temptation of poking said body parts. Due to the sun exposure, a faint sprinkle of freckles had decorated those areas of the young nation's face, and he found it adorable. Since it appeared the freckles were only visible during the summer for America, and since they would be all but invisible in the winter, he wanted to make the best of it while they were still around. Plus, the reactions he received when he poked the other made his day.

"I hope the rest of this week goes by slowly. I want to make the best of it! It doesn't help that the closer we get to the day you'll have to leave, the more sad I get. I'm afraid I might even cry right in front of you when that day comes! I'm going to miss you so much."

For once, Russia appreciated America's lack of understanding for the English language, as he was sure such words would depress him. Instead, the young nation continued to smile. A smile of blissful ignorance.


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: At this point in the story, there will be much more history and politics involved. Just keep in mind, I am not a history major or a politician. All I can rely on is the internet, my knowledge obtained through school, and my personal experience. And believe it or not, even with those three things, I can sometimes be wrong (mind blowing, isn't it?). I'm only human and am just writing this for fun.**

* * *

It was England's turn to watch America, which allowed Canada to observe Russia during the meeting. It hadn't been his initial intention to study his comrade, but after sitting through hours of mundane presentations two days prior and reviewing notes, his interest in work was suffering. It was one of those rare moments he envied his brother's disability. America was free to admire the world around him and no one would find it strange if they caught him observing another person's behavior for long periods of time. In fact, they'd encourage him to study his surroundings. They'd reward him for his enthusiasm. He wasn't expected to sit through hours of presentations from other listless nations without thanks.

At least others tended not to pay attention to him. Even if it was frowned upon for a functional adult to stare at another person, Canada could do this without causing any trouble. Everyone forgot he was present, so there was no one who would care.

He hated to not pay attention during the meetings, as it was his responsibility as a representation of a nation to participate in gatherings with others who shared his same status. However, boredom and curiosity were a powerful duo, so he couldn't resist the temptation of checking on how his ally was doing. He figured Russia would give him any information he missed during the gathering, anyway. There was no reason for either of them to not help each other at this point. They both had a similar goal, and there was nothing for his fellow northern nation to gain but trouble if he chose to be petty and cause problems on purpose, so Canada concluded that he didn't have much to lose for not paying attention throughout the entirety of the meeting.

Observing Russia's behavior throughout the meeting was more interesting than Canada initially believed it would be. It was as if the other nation was more... comfortable around his peers than he had been in the past. His shoulders were slumped and his eyes focused their attention around the room in nature movements, instead of focusing too much or too little attention on specific people. He didn't smile often at this gathering either, which had at first worried Canada. Until he considered the fact that he'd always suspected Russia's smiles were forced and this time, during the rare moments he allowed himself to express joy, it was genuine.

It appeared Canada wasn't the only one who suspected something was different about Russia. Other nations were studying him too. Some with obvious fascination and others with suspicion. Whether Russia was aware of the attention he was receiving or not, he continued on participating in the meeting as if he wasn't being watched. The uncaring (or ignorant) behavior caused the nations observing him to be even more interesting, but no one uttered a word about it.

Who could blame someone for being curious? Russia was acting normal. It wasn't an everyday occurrence. Since Canada was intrigued, and even believed the other's behavior was important to understand, he pondered a reason for it's occurrence. _When did it even begin?_ he asked himself, _I didn't even notice a change in his behavior until now._

Canada worked the question out in his head by considering Russia's behavior during the time he cared for America. The last time they'd attended a meeting was before he came over to help them tame the, at the time, out-of-control young nation. Though he appeared anxious, with his constant need to fiddle with his pen and play with the ends of his scarf, Canada had ignored the behavior. There were many things he could've been worried about: he may have been concerned about whether or not America would recover, if the ones who promised to care for him would be able to do so, or if the United State's government was still corrupt and planned on causing him trouble for interfering.

However, it was how willing Russia was to deal with America when Canada asked him for help that made him consider the anxious behavior. It was as if he was excited to be around the young nation to the point where he didn't care if it was going to be challenging to tend to him. This turned out being true later on, as the odd nation never tired of spending time with his disadvantaged companion and always satisfied his needs. Hadn't their relationship been strained in recent years, though? What would he want to help his former rival out if there was scarce hope their relationship was improving before hand? It was clear Russia had no ill intent, so perhaps he was growing sick of their rivalry?

This was reasonable. Canada imagined it would be tiring, as a strong nation, to be at odds with another nation who was equal, or even more powerful. Especially in the modern era with weapons capable of destroying the planet multiple times. The other nations feared them during the Cold War. It would be relieving for the two if they didn't have to worry about annihilating the world. A friendship would also be beneficial for the them. Russia lacked resources that were plentiful in America. They would also be able to protect each other. Although, even if it was better than them having another Cold War, there was the concern of how the other nation reacted to them becoming allies. Even if America was against conquering other nations (though, this was contradictory to his actions from a century before, as he was guilty of practicing imperialism), as he loathed the later days when he was a colony and England wasn't letting him have a say in most affairs, some nations would still be skeptical. As much as he wanted to believe it was so, as is typical of a nation, America wasn't always innocent. Russia, on the other hand, wasn't trusted in general. Though Canada was sure the nation had a heart, there was no denying the others were right in being wary. His treatment of the Baltic States were one of many examples of misconduct, which stained his record. Whether Russia intended on being cruel or not (which Canada was growing curious as to why he was harsh towards other nations in the past, but was now acting nurturing toward a nation he used to have trouble with), this was what his reputation was.

There was the possibility, though, the other nations would be too scared to interfere with their friendship, and leave them be. Canada hoped they would choose to do this, as he didn't believe his brother would try and dominate the world. Even if Russia attempted to coerce him into doing so. He even had doubts this was Russia's plan in the first place, as causing trouble for the other nations (even if they were passive about the friendship), would put him at risk. America's stubbornness to comply with a plan he didn't agree with also wasn't a mystery.

 _If there isn't much of a political reason for Russia's sudden interest in caring for America,_ Canada pondered, _then was there a friendship they had that I'm not aware of? I suppose there were some times when they acted friendly towards each other, but I didn't think much of it. I always assumed they were just being polite. Maybe there was more to it, though. Maybe they've always cared about each other, but haven't always been able to show that because of political reasons. Sometimes, nations aren't allowed to express their wants and beliefs because of their leader and people. Even if the citizens of a nation can influence them, they're still capable of independent thought. It's a blessing and a curse._

Daydreaming helped time fly in Canada's perspective. He was relieved when the end of the meeting was announced. He wouldn't have to wait through hours of uninspired presentation for another three months. In fact, the end of the meetings meant he and the nations he was with would be able to have some fun before they went their separate ways. It also meant he could chat with Russia, in a sneaky attempt to obtain the reason why the other was acting the way he was. He believed this was more important than trying and failing to absorb information that had been repeated, with only few details altered once in a while, over and over for the past year.

Canada remained silent while he and Russia were still in the building hosting the meetings, as he didn't want others eavesdropping on their conversation. Though he struggled to prevent himself from quivering, due to the excitement, he didn't want others to discover the reason for his comrade's behavior. Even if it turned out it wouldn't matter if the explanation was found out, he still wanted to respect the other nation's privacy. He'd prefer if they discussed this matter around strangers they'd never meet again. What reason would they have to care about Russia's behavior? He was acting normal, which meant he posed no threat. Which meant they most likely wouldn't bother them.

Even if he believed having strangers eavesdrop on their conversation was a better alternative, Canada insisted on waiting until they were sitting at a table in an isolated corner of a restaurant before commencing his inquiries, "How was your day, Ivan?"

Even after months of being asked this question, it still filled him with glee, "I'm fine. You?"

 _Not only is he starting to act normal, but there's something charming about this behavior too. I don't know why though. He's just acting the way he's expected to._

"I'm doing well."

There was an awkward silence as Canada tried to come up with a way to continue the conversation, "Um... so was this meeting any different to you than the previous meetings?"

Russia quirked an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"I mean, did you feel any different during this one than you have in the past."

The room grew warm for Canada after asking the odd questions, _Why did I have to say that? I should've worded those questions differently. Not only was it awkward, but now Russia's probably suspicious._

"A little bit, I guess. It wasn't anything major. I'm only curious as to why some people were looking at me differently than they normally do."

 _I guess taking care of America has made him more laid back after all._

"Why do you think they were giving you weird looks?"

"If I knew the reason why, I wouldn't be curious about it. All I know is that they weren't terrified of me like they normally are, so maybe that means I was doing something right."

Canada didn't understand why, but the last words Russia spoke created a pang of sympathy within him. It wasn't as if the other nation had intended to pity himself while saying this, as there were no hints of emotional agony in his tone. He said it with a casual attitude. Nothing had changed since the meeting. Not even the invasive, awkward inquiries discouraged his comrade's demeanor.

The two nations remained silent for the rest of the time they were in the restaurant. They were famished after the long meeting, so all they cared to do after the strange conversation was stuff their faces until their stomachs (and self-awareness) begged them to stop. After exiting the restaurant, Russia asked, "Do you think we should get the other two something to eat?"

Canada considered this, before shaking his head, "As polite as it might be, we still have plenty of food from when we want shopping three days ago. We need to try and eat it all before we leave to go home, as we can't take it with us. As hypocritical as that might come off, considering the fact that we just ate out."

"Nyet, don't worry about coming off as hypocritical. I don't blame you for wanting to eat higher quality food after that meeting. I also understand what you mean about the food in the hotel room. I'd hate to see it go to waste. In fact, it looks like Alfred has a new job. I'm sure he won't hesitate to help us out with the food situation. It's a good thing his appetite is growing, because he could also use some extra weight."

Canada couldn't help but laugh at this, "I guess we won't have to worry too much about the food going to waste then."

Upon entering the hotel room, after a brief greeting, England stated, "Unfortunately, Matthew and I have to sort some things out with out bosses tomorrow. I'm hoping it won't take long, but it most likely will."

An idea popped into Russia's head upon receiving the news, "In that case, do you think Alfred and I could spend the day in the city together?"

Russia wasn't eager about the initial response he'd earned when England furrowed his eyebrows, but after a few moments of silence, he was relieved to find this reaction was a result of his comrade considering the offer, "I suppose you can, but try to be careful. I don't want you losing him. And please don't force him into social situations if he gets nervous. He's already having a hard enough time adapting to this hotel, even though this is the fourth day he's been here. Speaking of which, do you think you can take him for the night? I'm growing tired of trying to manage him. He's been acting nervous ever since you two left and won't listen to some of my commands. It's a miracle he ended up falling asleep."

"I can take him right now, if you want. I'm sure he'll feel better if he comes over to my room as soon as possible."

"Are you sure you want me to wake him up? You know he gets cranky when he's tired."

"I'm sure he won't get cranky. He probably misses me, so he'll probably be happy to see me. Besides, he can go back to sleep once he's in my room."

"Alright, I'll go get him then."

With that said, England strode across the room towards the bed America was sleeping on. He shook his shoulder in a gentle motion and spoke with a quiet voice, "Wake up, Alfred. Ivan wants to see you."

When America stirred, he was uncaring about the request and insisted on continuing his nap. He pulled the blanket over his face in a futile attempt to prevent England from trying to awake him. However, the one disrupting his sleep was persistent, "Come on, Alfred. Wake up! Ivan wants to see you."

 _Ivan? Here?_ Those two words became the main focus in his mind and caused him to throw the blanket off with excitement. He placed his glasses onto his face and sat up so he could confirm if what England was telling him was true, and sure enough, Ivan was standing in the doorway, with a welcoming expression on his face. This caused America to smile and jump out of bed, so he could bolt across the room and pull his caretaker into a tight embrace. The other wrapped his arms around the one he was caring for in response, and said, despite the pressure being applied to his ribs, "I'm happy to see you too."

After America was finished giving his caretaker affection, the two walked to the other hotel room. Russia grew more and more excited in the young nation's presence. He couldn't wait to spend the day with him.


End file.
